Quantitative real-time PCR and magnetic separation strategy for specific detection of group B streptococcus in perinatal Women's urine

Xu Tang; Lin-Ping Fan; Yang Liu

doi:10.1016/j.plabm.2023.e00348

Quantitative real-time PCR and magnetic separation strategy for specific detection of group B streptococcus in perinatal Women's urine

Pract Lab Med. 2023 Dec 27:38:e00348. doi: 10.1016/j.plabm.2023.e00348. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Authors

Xu Tang¹, Lin-Ping Fan^{2

3}, Yang Liu^{2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jiangxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Nanchang, 330008, Jiangxi, China.
² Department of Clinical Laboratory, Medical Center of Burn Plastic and Wound Repair, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
³ China-Japan Friendship Jiang Xi Hospital, National Regional Center for Respiratory Medicine, Nanchang City, 330006, Jiangxi, China.
⁴ Jiangxi Medicine Academy of Nutrition and Health Management, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Group B streptococcus(GBS)often causes adverse outcomes such as urinary system infection, intrauterine infection, premature birth, and stillbirth in perinatal women. Perinatal screening of GBS is conducive to guiding clinical scientific intervention and improving delivery outcomes.This study quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) combined with magnetic separation was used for GBS detection.

Materials and methods: Sample pre-treatment in this study involved the utilization of magnetic separation (MS) technology, aiming to expedite the detection process and enhance detection sensitivity, and the cfb gene of group B streptococcus was used as the target gene to establish quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) to detect group B streptococcus.

Results: It was found that penicillin-functionalized magnetic beads had a good ability to enrich and capture group B Streptococcus.The findings revealed an exceptional detection sensitivity, with the ability to detect B streptococcus in urine samples at levels as low as 10² CFU/mL.

Conclusions: The utilization of MS technology in conjunction with the RT-qPCR (MS-RT-qPCR) assay, as demonstrated in this study, offers a viable approach for prenatal screening of group B streptococcus among perinatal women.

Keywords: Group B streptococcus; Magnetic separation; Real-time PCR.