Accurate, fast and cost-effective simultaneous detection of bacterial meningitis by qualitative PCR with high-resolution melting

Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae are leading causes of meningitis and acute invasive infections. PCR-based methods are widely used for the diagnosis and surveillance of bacterial pathogens because of their high sensitivity, specificity and high-throughput c...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ivano de Filippis, Aline Carvalho de Azevedo, Irene de Oliveira Lima, Nicolle F Lima Ramos, Claudia Ferreira de Andrade, Antonio ECC de Almeida
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Future Science Ltd 2023-02-01
Series:BioTechniques
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.future-science.com/doi/10.2144/btn-2022-0089
Description
Summary:Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae are leading causes of meningitis and acute invasive infections. PCR-based methods are widely used for the diagnosis and surveillance of bacterial pathogens because of their high sensitivity, specificity and high-throughput capabilities compared with conventional laboratory methods. This study evaluated a high-resolution melting qualitative PCR analysis method for the simultaneous detection of these three pathogens. The assay has been optimized to detect three species-specific genes of each organism isolated from clinical samples, enabling accurate identification of the etiological agent. The method proved to be highly sensitive and cheaper than the real-time PCR TaqMan® system because it is probe-free; it could be used for the diagnosis of invasive diseases in public health laboratories of developing countries.
ISSN:0736-6205
1940-9818