Highly Multiplex Real-Time PCR-Based Screening for Blood-Borne Pathogens on an OpenArray Platform

Molecular diagnostics are increasingly used in the blood bank industry. A device that can combine simultaneous detection of multiple targets with the flexibility of inclusion of emerging pathogens is desirable for testing blood products. A highly multiplexed blood-borne pathogen panel (BBPP) using dual-label probe chemistry (TaqMan assays) was developed for simultaneous detection and discrimination of 17 viral pathogens in human plasma samples and 13 bacterial and protozoan pathogens in human blood samples on the OpenArray platform. The custom BBPP OpenArray plate was tested for specificity and analytical sensitivity with purified nucleic acids from each pathogen and with pathogen-spiked human blood and plasma samples. The results of analytical validation of known samples yielded decision trees for identification of coded samples: pathogens spiked in human plasma or whole blood. Results from coded samples demonstrated no false positives among the plasma or whole blood specimens. Samples not detected were at the lower limit of the detectible range or qualified for retesting as indeterminate. Further demonstration of the performance of the BBPP OpenArray was achieved with clinical samples from a blood donor testing organization. Ninety-five percent of virus-positive samples were correctly identified. These results show that a high-throughput OpenArray PCR platform can be expanded and adapted for higher discrimination and newly emerging agents, enabling consideration for development as a next-generation device for testing blood products.