TaqMan real-time PCR for detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in canine clinical samples

Canine leptospirosis has always been a differential diagnosis in dogs presenting with clinical signs and blood profiles associated with kidney and/or liver disease. The conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) provides diagnoses, but real-time PCR-based tests provide earlier confirmation and det...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of veterinary research 2023-06, Vol.67 (2), p.187-195
Main Authors: Rahman, Mohammad Sabri Abdul, Khor, Kuan Hua, Khairani-Bejo, Siti, Lau, Seng Fong, Mazlan, Mazlina, Roslan, Mohd Azri, Ajat, Mohd Mokrish Md, Noor, Mohd Akmal Mohd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agglutination
canine leptospirosis
Differential diagnosis
Kidneys
Leptospirosis
Liver diseases
Polymerase chain reaction
qPCR
sensitivity
Sensitivity analysis
specificity
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Canine leptospirosis has always been a differential diagnosis in dogs presenting with clinical signs and blood profiles associated with kidney and/or liver disease. The conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) provides diagnoses, but real-time PCR-based tests provide earlier confirmation and determine the severity of infection, especially in the acute stage, allowing early detection for immediate treatment decisions. To our knowledge, real-time PCR has not been routinely adopted for clinical investigation in Malaysia. This study evaluated TaqMan real-time PCR (qPCR) assays diagnosing leptospirosis and compared their applicability to clinical samples from dogs with kidney and/or liver disease against a conventional PCR reference. The qPCR assays were validated using existing leptospiral isolates. Whole blood and urine samples were analysed using a conventional PCR, and qPCRs and a microscopic agglutination test. The sensitivity and specificity of the qPCRs were determined. The qPCR assay had more diagnostic value than the qPCR assay. Further evaluation of this assay revealed that it could detect as low as five DNA copies per reaction with high specificity for the tested leptospiral strains. No cross-amplification was observed with other organisms. Analysing the clinical samples, the qPCR assay had 100.0% sensitivity and >75.0% specificity. The qPCR assay is sensitive, specific and has the potential to be applied in future studies.
ISSN:2450-7393
2450-8608
2450-8608
DOI:10.2478/jvetres-2023-0024