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Published on: July 9, 2012
Rapid detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from positive blood cultures by quantitative PCR
Vincent Cattoir1, Audrey Gilibert, Jeanne-Marie Le Glaunec
1Laboratoire de Bactériologie-Virologie-Hygiène, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Créteil, France. cattoir-v@chu-caen.fr
Background:
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is responsible for numerous bloodstream infections associated with severe adverse outcomes in case of inappropriate initial antimicrobial therapy. The present study was aimed to develop a novel quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay, using ecfX as the specific target gene, for the rapid and accurate identification of P. aeruginosa from positive blood cultures (BCs).
Methods:
Over the period August 2008 to June 2009, 100 BC bottles positive for gram-negative bacilli were tested in order to evaluate performances of the qPCR technique with conventional methods as gold standard (i.e. culture and phenotypic identification).
Results:
Thirty-three strains of P. aeruginosa, 53 strains of Enterobactericaeae, nine strains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and two other gram-negative species were isolated while 3 BCs were polymicrobial including one mixture containing P. aeruginosa. All P. aeruginosa clinical isolates were detected by qPCR except a single strain in mixed culture. Performances of the qPCR technique were: specificity, 100%; positive predictive value, 100%; negative predictive value, 98.5%; and sensitivity, 97%.
Conclusions:
This reliable technique may offer a rapid (<1.5 h) tool that would help clinicians to initiate an appropriate treatment earlier. Further investigations are needed to assess the clinical benefit of this novel strategy as compared to phenotypic methods.
