Abstract:
Objective To establish an optimized method of recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) to rapidly detect
Pseudomonas aeruginosa in clinic.
Methods (1) The DNA templates of one standard
Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain was extracted and detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and RPA. Time of sample loading, time of amplification, and time of detection of the three methods were recorded. (2) One standard
Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain was diluted in 7 concentrations of 1×10
7, 1×10
6, 1×10
5, 1×10
4, 1×10
3, 1×10
2, and 1×10
1 colony forming unit (CFU)/mL after recovery and cultivation. The DNA templates of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and negative control strain
Pseudomonas putida were extracted and detected by PCR, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and RPA separately. The sensitivity of the three methods in detecting
Pseudomonas aeruginosa was analyzed. (3) The DNA templates of one standard
Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain and four negative control strains (
Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumanii, Candida albicans, and
Pseudomonas putida) were extracted separately, and then they were detected by PCR, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and RPA. The specificity of the three methods in detecting
Pseudomonas aeruginosa was analyzed. (4) The DNA templates of 28 clinical strains of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa preserved in glycerin, 1 clinical strain of which was taken by cotton swab, and negative control strain
Pseudomonas putida were extracted separately, and then they were detected by RPA. Positive amplification signals of the clinical strains were observed, and the detection rate was calculated. All experiments were repeated for 3 times. Sensitivity results were analyzed by GraphPad Prism 5.01 statistical software.
Results (1) The loading time of RPA, PCR, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR for detecting
Pseudomonas aeruginosa were all 20 minutes. In PCR, time of amplification was 98 minutes, time of gel detection was 20 minutes, and the total time was 138 minutes. In real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, amplification and detection could be completed simultaneously, which took 90 minutes, and the total time was 110 minutes. In RPA, amplification and detection could also be completed simultaneously, which took 15 minutes, and the total time was 35 minutes. (2)
Pseudomonas putida did not show positive amplification signals or gel positive results in any of the three detection methods. The detection limit of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa in real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and PCR was 1×10
1 CFU/mL, and that of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa in RPA was 1×10
2 CFU/mL. In RPA and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, the higher the concentration of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the shorter threshold time and smaller the number of cycles, namely shorter time for detecting the positive amplified signal. In real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, all positive amplification signal could be detected when the concentration of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 1×10
1-1×10
7 CFU/mL. In RPA, the detection rate of positive amplification signal was 0 when the concentration of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 1×10
1 CFU/mL, while the detection rate of positive amplification signal was 67% when the concentration of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 1×10
2 CFU/mL, and the detection rate of positive amplification signal was 100% when the concentration of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 1×10
3-1×10
7 CFU/mL. (3) In RPA, PCR, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed positive amplification signals and gel positive results, but there were no positive amplification signals or gel positive results in four negative control strains of
Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and
Pseudomonas putida. (4) In RPA, 28 clinical strains of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa preserved in glycerin and 1 clinical strain of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa taken by cotton swab showed positive amplification signals, while
Pseudomonas putida did not show positive amplification signal. The detection rate of positive amplification signal of 29 clinical strains of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa in RPA was 100%.
Conclusions The established optimized RPA technology for fast detection of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa requires shorter time, with high sensitivity and specificity. It was of great value in fast detection of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in clinic.