PCR and culture for diagnosis of Acanthamoeba keratitis

Background/AimsAcanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a rare but sight-threatening infection. Molecular diagnosis of corneal scraping has improved the diagnosis of AK. Different molecular targets and conditions have been used in diagnosis thus far. In this study, we prospectively compared the performance of five PCR assays on corneal samples for the diagnosis of AK.Methods1217 corneal scraping samples were obtained from patients, for whom an AK was suspected. Sample processing involved both molecular diagnostics and culture. Acanthamoeba PCR assays detected different regions of the Acanthamoeba nuclear small-subunit rRNA gene: three final point PCR assays using Nelson, ACARNA and JDP1–JDP2 pairs of primers, and two real-time PCR assays using Acant primer-probe. Human DNA and internal control were co-amplified in the real-time PCR assay to ensure scraping quality and the absence of inhibitors. In the absence of a gold standard, the performance of each test was evaluated using latent class analysis. Genotypes of Acanthamoeba isolates were also characterised.ResultsEstimated prevalence of AK was 1.32%. The sensitivity of Acanthamoeba diagnostic PCRs (73.3% to 86.7%) did not differ significantly from that of culture (66.7%), or according to the target sequence or the technology. Sensitivity could be increased to 93.8% or 100% by combining two or three assays, respectively. PCR specificity (99.3% to 100%) differed between the assays. T4 was the predominant Acanthamoeba genotype (84.6%).ConclusionsCulture and a single PCR assay could lead to misdiagnosing AK. A combination of different PCR assays and improved sample quality could increase diagnosis sensitivity.

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Power Analysis for Real-Time PCR Quantification of Genes in Activated Sludge and Analysis of the Variability Introduced by DNA Extraction

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.69.11.6597-6604.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 69 (11) ◽

pp. 6597-6604 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

Hebe M. Dionisi ◽

Gerda Harms ◽

Alice C. Layton ◽

Igrid R. Gregory ◽

Jack Parker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

16S Rrna ◽

Activated Sludge ◽

Real Time ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Power Analysis ◽

16S Rrna Genes ◽

Rrna Genes ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Pcr Assays

ABSTRACT The aims of this study were to determine the power of discrimination of the real-time PCR assay for monitoring fluctuations in microbial populations within activated sludge and to identify sample processing points where methodological changes are needed to minimize the variability in target quantification. DNA was extracted using a commercially available kit from mixed liquor samples taken from the aeration tank of four bench-scale activated-sludge reactors operating at 2-, 5-, 10-, and 20-day solid retention times, with mixed-liquor volatile suspended solid (MLVSS) values ranging from 260 to 2,610 mg/liter. Real-time PCR assays for bacterial and Nitrospira 16S rRNA genes were chosen because they represent, respectively, a highly abundant and a less-abundant bacterial target subject to clustering within the activated sludge matrix. The mean coefficient of variation in DNA yields (measured as microgram of DNA per milligram of MLVSS) in triplicate extractions of 12 different samples was 12.2%. Based on power analyses, the variability associated with DNA extraction had a small impact on the overall variability of the real-time PCR assay. Instead, a larger variability was associated with the PCR assay. The less-abundant target (Nitrospira 16S rRNA gene) had more variability than the highly abundant target (bacterial 16S rRNA gene), and samples from the lower-biomass reactors had more variability than samples from the higher-biomass reactors. Power analysis of real-time PCR assays indicated that three to five samples were necessary to detect a twofold increase in bacterial 16S rRNA genes, whereas three to five samples were required to detect a fivefold increase in Nitrospira 16S rRNA genes.

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Differing Effects of Standard and Harsh Nucleic Acid Extraction Procedures on Diagnostic Helminth Real-Time PCRs Applied to Human Stool Samples

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10020188 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 188

Author(s):

Tanja Hoffmann ◽

Andreas Hahn ◽

Jaco J. Verweij ◽

Gérard Leboulle ◽

Olfert Landt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nucleic Acid ◽

Real Time ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Acid Extraction ◽

Nucleic Acid Extraction ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Bead Beating ◽

Stool Samples ◽

Pcr Assays ◽

Human Stool

This study aimed to assess standard and harsher nucleic acid extraction schemes for diagnostic helminth real-time PCR approaches from stool samples. A standard procedure for nucleic acid extraction from stool and a procedure including bead-beating as well as proteinase K digestion were compared with group-, genus-, and species-specific real-time PCR assays targeting helminths and nonhelminth pathogens in human stool samples. From 25 different in-house and commercial helminth real-time PCR assays applied to 77 stool samples comprising 67 historic samples and 10 external quality assessment scheme samples positively tested for helminths, higher numbers of positive test results were observed after bead-beating-based nucleic acid extraction for 5/25 (20%) real-time PCR assays irrespective of specificity issues. Lower cycle threshold values were observed for one real-time PCR assay after the standard extraction scheme, and for four assays after the bead-beating-based scheme. Agreement between real-time PCR results after both nucleic acid extraction strategies according to Cohen’s kappa ranged from poor to almost perfect for the different assays. Varying agreement was observed in eight nonhelminth real-time PCR assays applied to 67 historic stool samples. The study indicates highly variable effects of harsh nucleic acid extraction approaches depending on the real-time PCR assay used.

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Comparative Assessment of In-House Real-Time PCRs Targeting Enteric Disease-Associated Microsporidia in Human Stool Samples

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10060656 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 656

Author(s):

Konstantin Tanida ◽

Andreas Hahn ◽

Kirsten Alexandra Eberhardt ◽

Egbert Tannich ◽

Olfert Landt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Indigenous People ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Latent Class ◽

Enterocytozoon Bieneusi ◽

Enteric Disease ◽

Immunosuppressed Patients ◽

Study Population ◽

Stool Samples ◽

Pcr Assays

Microsporidiosis is an infection predominantly occurring in immunosuppressed patients and infrequently also in travelers. This study was performed to comparatively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of real-time PCR assays targeting microsporidia with etiological relevance in the stool of human patients in a latent class analysis-based test comparison without a reference standard with perfect accuracy. Thereby, two one-tube real-time PCR assays and two two-tube real-time PCR assays targeting Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalocytozoon spp. were included in the assessment with reference stool material (20), stool samples from Ghanaian HIV-positive patients (903), and from travelers, migrants and Colombian indigenous people (416). Sensitivity of the assays ranged from 60.4% to 97.4% and specificity from 99.1% to 100% with substantial agreement according to Cohen’s kappa of 79.6%. Microsporidia DNA was detected in the reference material and the stool of the HIV patients but not in the stool of the travelers, migrants, and the Colombian indigenous people. Accuracy-adjusted prevalence was 5.8% (n = 78) for the study population as a whole. In conclusion, reliable detection of enteric disease-associated microsporidia in stool samples by real-time PCR could be demonstrated, but sensitivity between the compared microsporidia-specific real-time PCR assays varied.

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Real-Time PCR Assay for Detection and Enumeration of Dekkera bruxellensis in Wine

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.69.12.7430-7434.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 69 (12) ◽

pp. 7430-7434 ◽

Cited By ~ 77

Author(s):

Trevor G. Phister ◽

David A. Mills

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Pcr Primers ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Dekkera Bruxellensis ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Specific Pcr ◽

Spoilage Yeast ◽

Pcr Method ◽

26S Rrna

ABSTRACT Traditional methods to detect the spoilage yeast Dekkera bruxellensis from wine involve lengthy enrichments. To overcome this difficulty, we developed a quantitative real-time PCR method to directly detect and enumerate D. bruxellensis in wine. Specific PCR primers to D. bruxellensis were designed to the 26S rRNA gene, and nontarget yeast and bacteria common to the winery environment were not amplified. The assay was linear over a range of cell concentrations (6 log units) and could detect as little as 1 cell per ml in wine. The addition of large amounts of nontarget yeasts did not impact the efficiency of the assay. This method will be helpful to identify possible routes of D. bruxellensis infection in winery environments. Moreover, the time involved in performing the assay (3 h) should enable winemakers to more quickly make wine processing decisions in order to reduce the threat of spoilage by D. bruxellensis.

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A quadruplex real-time PCR assay for the detection of Yersinia pestis and its plasmids

Journal of Medical Microbiology ◽

10.1099/jmm.0.47485-0 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 57 (3) ◽

pp. 324-331 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Alvin Stewart ◽

Benjamin Satterfield ◽

Marissa Cohen ◽

Kim O'Neill ◽

Richard Robison

Keyword(s):

Yersinia Pestis ◽

Real Time ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis ◽

Target Sequence ◽

Health Departments ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Virulence Plasmids ◽

Taqman Probes ◽

Sporadic Disease

Yersinia pestis, the aetiological agent of the plague, causes sporadic disease in endemic areas of the world and is classified as a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Category A Priority Pathogen because of its potential to be used as a bioweapon. Health departments, hospitals and government agencies need the ability to rapidly identify and characterize cultured isolates of this bacterium. Assays have been developed to perform this function; however, they are limited in their ability to distinguish Y. pestis from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. This report describes the creation of a real-time PCR assay using Taqman probes that exclusively identifies Y. pestis using a unique target sequence of the yihN gene on the chromosome. As with other Y. pestis PCR assays, three major genes located on each of the three virulence plasmids were included: lcrV on pCD1, caf1 on pMT1 and pla on pPCP1. The quadruplex assay was validated on a collection of 192 Y. pestis isolates and 52 near-neighbour isolates. It was discovered that only 72 % of natural plague isolates from the states of New Mexico and Utah harboured all three virulence plasmids. This quadruplex assay proved to be 100 % successful in differentiating Y. pestis from all near neighbours tested and was able to reveal which of the three virulence plasmids a particular isolate possessed.

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A New Highly Sensitive and Specific Real-Time PCR Assay Targeting the Malate Dehydrogenase Gene ofKingella kingaeand Application to 201 Pediatric Clinical Specimens

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.00505-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 56 (8) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nawal El Houmami ◽

Guillaume André Durand ◽

Janek Bzdrenga ◽

Anne Darmon ◽

Philippe Minodier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Malate Dehydrogenase ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Detection Sensitivity ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Content Type ◽

Clinical Specimens ◽

Specificity And Sensitivity ◽

Pcr Assays

ABSTRACTKingella kingaeis a significant pediatric pathogen responsible for bone and joint infections, occult bacteremia, and endocarditis in early childhood. Past efforts to detect this bacterium using culture and broad-range 16S rRNA gene PCR assays from clinical specimens have proven unsatisfactory; therefore, by the late 2000s, these were gradually phased out to explore the benefits of specific real-time PCR tests targeting thegroELgene and the RTX locus ofK. kingae. However, recent studies showed that real-time PCR (RT-PCR) assays targeting theKingellasp. RTX locus that are currently available for the diagnosis ofK. kingaeinfection lack specificity because they could not distinguish betweenK. kingaeand the recently describedKingella negevensisspecies. Furthermore,in silicoanalysis of thegroELgene from a large collection of 45K. kingaestrains showed that primers and probes fromK. kingaegroEL-based RT-PCR assays display a few mismatches withK. kingae groELvariations that may result in decreased detection sensitivity, especially in paucibacillary clinical specimens. In order to provide an alternative togroEL- and RTX-targeting RT-PCR assays that may suffer from suboptimal specificity and sensitivity, aK. kingae-specific RT-PCR assay targeting the malate dehydrogenase (mdh) gene was developed for predicting no mismatch between primers and probe and 18 variants of theK. kingae mdhgene from 20 distinct sequence types ofK. kingae. This novelK. kingae-specific RT-PCR assay demonstrated high specificity and sensitivity and was successfully used to diagnoseK. kingaeinfections and carriage in 104 clinical specimens from children between 7 months and 7 years old.

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Development of a real‐time PCR assay for detection of African swine fever virus with an endogenous internal control

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases ◽

10.1111/tbed.13582 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 67 (6) ◽

pp. 2446-2454 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yin Wang ◽

Lizhe Xu ◽

Lance Noll ◽

Colin Stoy ◽

Elizabeth Porter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Internal Control ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

African Swine Fever Virus ◽

African Swine Fever ◽

Fever Virus ◽

Pcr Assay

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Multiplex, Construct-Specific, and Real-Time PCR-Based Analytical Methods for Bt Rice with cry1Ac Gene

Journal of AOAC International ◽

10.5740/jaoacint.10-429 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 95 (1) ◽

pp. 186-194 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Gurinder Jit Randhawa ◽

Monika Singh

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Analytical Methods ◽

Camv 35S Promoter ◽

35S Promoter ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Cry1ac Gene ◽

Camv 35S ◽

Bt Rice ◽

Pcr Assays

Abstract Qualitative and quantitative analytical methods based on PCR for Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) rice hybrid, namely, MRP 5401 Bt expressing a modified version of the Bt cry1Ac gene, are reported here. Multiplex PCR assays were developed to target the cry1Ac transgene, Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter, Agrobacterium tumefaciens nopaline synthase (nos) terminator, the neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) marker gene, and an endogenous α-tubulin (TubA) gene in Bt rice. The 3.178 kb region of inserted gene construct comprising the region of the CaMV 35S promoter and cry1Ac gene was amplified, and the construct integrity was confirmed by the nested PCR. The LOD for cry1Ac gene-specific simplex PCR was 0.01%, as established using Bt rice DNA dilutions with 100, 10, 1.0, 0.1, 0.05, 0.01, and 0.001% genetically modified trait. A real-time PCR assay was also developed to quantify the cry1Ac gene. The method performance of the reported real-time PCR assay was in line with the acceptance criteria of Codex Alimentarius Commission ALINORM 10/33/23, with LOD and LOQ values of 0.05%. The reliable PCR assays prior to commercial release of Bt rice would facilitate efficient regulatory compliance for identification of genetic trait, labeling requirements, and effective risk assessment and management. They could also address consumers' concerns and legal disputes that may arise.

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