Development of AFLP-derived, functionally specific markers for environmental persistence studies of fungal strains

2006 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 451-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
S S Hynes ◽  
O Chaudhry ◽  
M A Providenti ◽  
M L Smith
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Pcr Primers ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Environmental Persistence ◽  
Fungal Strains ◽  
Target Dna ◽  
Polymerase Chain

The ability to rapidly identify and quantify a microbial strain in a complex environmental sample has widespread applications in ecology, epidemiology, and industry. In this study, we describe a rapid method to obtain functionally specific genetic markers that can be used in conjunction with standard or real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the abundance of target fungal strains in selected environmental samples. The method involves sequencing of randomly cloned AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) products from the target organism and the design of PCR primers internal to the AFLP fragments. The strain-specific markers were used to determine the fate of three industrially relevant fungi, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, and Chaetomium globosum, during a 4 month soil microcosm experiment. The persistence of each of the three fungal strains inoculated separately into intact soil microcosms was determined by PCR analyses of DNA directly extracted from soil. Presence and absence data based on standard PCR and quantification of the target DNA by real-time PCR showed that all three strains declined after inoculation (~14-, 32-, and 4-fold for A. niger, A. oryzae, and C. globosum, respectively) but remained detectable at the end of the experiment, suggesting that these strains would survive for extended periods if released into nature.Key words: Canada domestic substances list (DSL), Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), genetically modified organisms (GMO), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).

scholarly journals Analysis and validation of a highly sensitive one-step nested quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for specific detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Chunyang Dai ◽  
Huiyan Wang ◽  
Yong Gao ◽  
Tuantuan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Qrt Pcr ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
One Step ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is posing a serious threat to global public health. Reverse transcriptase real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is widely used as the gold standard for clinical detection of SARS-CoV-2. Due to technical limitations, the reported positive rates of qRT-PCR assay of throat swab samples vary from 30 to 60%. Therefore, the evaluation of alternative strategies to overcome the limitations of qRT-PCR is required. A previous study reported that one-step nested (OSN)-qRT-PCR revealed better suitability for detecting SARS-CoV-2. However, information on the analytical performance of OSN-qRT-PCR is insufficient. Method In this study, we aimed to analyze OSN-qRT-PCR by comparing it with droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and qRT-PCR by using a dilution series of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviral RNA and a quality assessment panel. The clinical performance of OSN-qRT-PCR was also validated and compared with ddPCR and qRT-PCR using specimens from COVID-19 patients. Result The limit of detection (copies/ml) of qRT-PCR, ddPCR, and OSN-qRT-PCR were 520.1 (95% CI: 363.23–1145.69) for ORF1ab and 528.1 (95% CI: 347.7–1248.7) for N, 401.8 (95% CI: 284.8–938.3) for ORF1ab and 336.8 (95% CI: 244.6–792.5) for N, and 194.74 (95% CI: 139.7–430.9) for ORF1ab and 189.1 (95% CI: 130.9–433.9) for N, respectively. Of the 34 clinical samples from COVID-19 patients, the positive rates of OSN-qRT-PCR, ddPCR, and qRT-PCR were 82.35% (28/34), 67.65% (23/34), and 58.82% (20/34), respectively. Conclusion In conclusion, the highly sensitive and specific OSN-qRT-PCR assay is superior to ddPCR and qRT-PCR assays, showing great potential as a technique for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with low viral loads.

Quantification of Common Wheat Adulteration of Durum Wheat Pasta Using Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

2002 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rémi Alary ◽  
Arnaud Serin ◽  
Marie-Pierre Duviau ◽  
Philippe Jourdrier ◽  
Marie-Françoise Gautier
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Durum Wheat ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Common Wheat ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Comparison of Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR) and Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) in Detecting Neonatal Invasive Fungal Infections

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-379
Author(s):  
Huitao Li ◽  
Xueyu Chen ◽  
Xiaomei Qiu ◽  
Weimin Huang ◽  
Chuanzhong Yang
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Fungal Isolation ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Fungal Strains ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction

Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is the leading cause of death in neonatal patients, yet the diagnosis of IFI remains a major challenge. At present, most IFI laboratory diagnostic methods are based on classical, but limited, methods such as fungal isolation and culture and histopathological examination. Recently, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) technology have been adopted to quantify nucleic-acid identification. In this study, we established qPCR and ddPCR assays for IFI diagnosis and quantification. qPCR and ddPCR were carried out using identical primers and probe for the amplification of 18S rRNA. Assay results for three fungal strains were positive, whereas ten non-fungal strains had negative results, indicating 100% specificity for both ddPCR and qPCR methods. Genomic DNA of Candida albicans was tested after a serial dilution to compare the sensitivity of the two PCR methods. The limit of detection of ddPCR was 3.2 copies/L, which was a ten-fold increase compared with that of the qPCR method (32 copies/L). Blood samples from 127 patients with high-risk factors and clinical symptoms for IFI were collected from a NICU in Shenzhen, China, and analyzed using qPCR and ddPCR. Thirty-four blood samples from neonates had a proven or probable diagnosis of IFI, and 25 of these were positive by qPCR, whereas 30 were positive by ddPCR. Among the 93 blood samples from neonates who had a possible IFI or no IFI, 24 were positive using qPCR, and 7 were positive using ddPCR. In conclusion, ddPCR is a rapid and accurate pan-fungal detection method and provides a promising prospect for IFI clinical screening.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document