Improved detection of five major gastrointestinal pathogens by use of a molecular screening approach.

ABSTRACT: The detection of bacterial and parasitic gastrointestinal pathogens through culture and microscopy is laborious and time-consuming. We evaluated a molecular screening approach (MSA) for the detection of five major enteric pathogens: Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, Giardia lamblia, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and Shigella spp./enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), for use in the daily practice of a clinical microbiology laboratory. The MSA consists of prescreening of stool specimens with two real-time multiplex PCR (mPCR) assays, which give results within a single working day, followed by guided culture/microscopy of the positive or mPCR-inhibited samples. In the present 2-year overview, 28,185 stool specimens were included. The MSA was applied to 13,974 stool samples

SUBMITTER: de Boer RF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3020836 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature