Comparison of established PCR assays for accurate identification of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli.

This study examined the sensitivity and specificity of 12 PCR assays targeting 23S rRNA, ceuE, lpxA, hipO, mapA, ask, and cdt genes of C. jejuni and C. coli. The PCR assays had sensitivity of 85.2-100%, and 97-100%, and specificity of 90.5-100%, and 94.3-100% for the tested C. jejuni (n = 61) and C. coli (n = 33) strains, respectively. Two PCR assays, targeting cdtC and hipO genes, were found to be 100% sensitive and/or specific for all C. jejuni strains, while, three assays, targeting cdtB, cdtA, and ask genes, were 100% sensitive and/or specific for C. coli strains. However, PCR assays for hipO and ask genes are problematic to conduct simultaneously due to the differences in PCR conditions. Overall, multiplex PCR assays targeting cdtC and cdtB genes, encoding two subunits of the same toxin, were concluded to be the most reliable. The results of this study would aid in proper surveillances of C. jejuni and C. coli, and adopting intervention strategies in the near future. PMID: 30381691 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Tags: Jpn J Infect Dis Source Type: research