A comparison of the Allplex™ bacterial and viral assays to conventional methods for detection of gastroenteritis agents

Molecular methods to detect diarrheal pathogens are increasingly being used in place of conventional methods. We compared a new multiplex real-time PCR assay for detection of both bacterial and viral gastroenteritis agents, the Allplex™ Gastrointestinal Panel Assays (AGPA), to conventional methods (...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC research notes 2018-07, Vol.11 (1), p.514-514, Article 514
Main Authors: Amrud, Kelly, Slinger, Robert, Sant, Nadia, Desjardins, Marc, Toye, Baldwin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenoviruses
Analysis
Bacteria
Bacterial infections
Bacteriological Techniques - methods
Campylobacter
Dehydrogenases
Diagnosis
Diarrhea
E coli
Electron microscopy
Escherichia coli - genetics
Escherichia coli - isolation & purification
Escherichia coli Infections - diagnosis
Feces
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis - microbiology
Humans
Laboratories
Methods
Microscopy
Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
Organisms
Pathogens
PCR
Research Note
Rotavirus
Salmonella
Sensitivity and Specificity
Shiga toxin
Virus diseases
Viruses
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Summary:Molecular methods to detect diarrheal pathogens are increasingly being used in place of conventional methods. We compared a new multiplex real-time PCR assay for detection of both bacterial and viral gastroenteritis agents, the Allplex™ Gastrointestinal Panel Assays (AGPA), to conventional methods (stool culture for bacterial pathogens and electron microscopy (EM) for viral pathogens). Gastrointestinal viruses, in particular norovirus genogroup II viruses, were detected by the AGPA in a high number of specimens that were negative by EM. For bacterial pathogens, the AGPA was able to detect the organisms grown in culture with high sensitivity and additionally detected several types of E. coli, such as enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), that could not be detected with conventional culture methods. Overall, the AGPA had a > 2-fold higher detection rate than the conventional methods, with 24/135 (17.8%) samples positive by conventional methods and 60/135 (44.4%) by AGPA. Thus, diarrhea pathogen detection rates increased substantially with the use of the AGPA as compared to conventional methods.
ISSN:1756-0500
1756-0500
DOI:10.1186/s13104-018-3645-6