We developed a novel multiplex PCR assay for enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) detection, by using three plasmid-borne genes (the aggregative adherence [AA] probe, aap, and aggR). One or more of the loci were detected in 24 (86%) of 28 patient isolates analyzed. The multiplex PCR assay is a fast, convenient, and sensitive molecular test to detect EAEC.

To prevent the spread of carbapenemase-producing bacteria, a fast and accurate detection of patients carrying these bacteria is extremely important. The Check-Direct CPE assay (Check-Points, Wageningen, The Netherlands) is a new multiplex real-time PCR assay, which has been developed to detect and differentiate between the most prevalent carbapenemase genes encountered in Enterobacteriaceae (bl...

We developed a highly sensitive and specific assay for the rapid detection of smallpox virus DNA on both the Smart Cycler and LightCycler platforms. The assay is based on TaqMan chemistry with the orthopoxvirus hemagglutinin gene used as the target sequence. With genomic DNA purified from variola virus Bangladesh 1975, the limit of detection was estimated to be approximately 25 copies on both m...

A simple and sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assay is described for detection of the red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV) in infected fish. The assay involves amplification of a portion of the ribonucleotide reductase small subunit (RNRS) gene of the virus from DNA isolated from the spleen. The system was tested on red sea bream following an experimental infection. In our infection m...

Several real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays have been developed to detect and quantify Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7, but none have targeted the O-antigen specific gene (rfbEO157) in combination with the three major virulence genes, stx1, stx2, and eae. Our objectives were to develop and validate a four-plex, quantitative PCR (mqPCR) assay targeting rfbE(O15...

Although predominantly associated with health benefits, the gut microbiota has also been shown to harbor genes that promote inflammation. In this work, we report a method for the direct detection and quantification of these pro-inflammatory bacterial genes by PCR and qPCR in DNA extracted from human stool samples. PCR reactions were performed to detect (i) the pks island genes, (ii) tcpC, which...