Charlotta Löfström

Pre-PCR processing - Strategies to generate PCR-compatible samples

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is recognized as a rapid, sensitive, and specific molecular diagnostic tool for the analysis of nucleic acids. However, the sensitivity and kinetics of diagnostic PCR may be dramatically reduced when applied directly to biological samples, such as blood and feces, owing to PCR-inhibitory components. As a result, pre-PCR processing procedures have been developed to remove or reduce the effects of PCR inhibitors. Pre-PCR processing comprises all steps prior to the detection of PCR products, that is, sampling, sample preparation, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) amplification. The aim of pre-PCR processing is to convert a complex biological sample with its target nucleic acids/cells into PCR-amplifiable samples by combining sample preparation and amplification conditions. Several different pre-PCR processing strategies are used: (1) optimization of the DNA amplification conditions by the use of alternative DNA polymerases and/or amplification facilitators, (2) optimization of the sample preparation method, (3) optimization of the sampling method, and (4) combinations of the different strategies. This review describes different pre-PCR processing strategies to circumvent PCR inhibition to allow accurate and precise DNA amplification.

Enumeration of Salmonella Bacteria in Food and Feed Samples by Real-Time PCR for Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) is an important approach for food safety in which risk and factors that influence food safety are identified. The goal is to provide an estimate of the level of illness that a pathogen can cause in a given population ([13][1]). For QMRA, there is a need

Rapid Quantification of Viable Campylobacter Bacteria on Chicken Carcasses, Using Real-Time PCR and Propidium Monoazide Treatment, as a Tool for Quantitative Risk Assessment

ABSTRACT A number of intervention strategies against Campylobacter-contaminated poultry focus on postslaughter reduction of the number of cells, emphasizing the need for rapid and reliable quantitative detection of only viable Campylobacter bacteria. We present a new and rapid quantitative approach to the enumeration of food-borne Campylobacter bacteria that combines real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) with simple propidium monoazide (PMA) sample treatment. In less than 3 h, this method generates a signal from only viable and viable but nonculturable (VBNC) Campylobacter bacteria with an intact membrane. The methods performance was evaluated by assessing the contributions to variability by individual chicken carcass rinse matrices, species of Campylobacter, and differences in efficiency of DNA extraction with differing cell inputs. The method was compared with culture-based enumeration on 50 naturally infected chickens. The cell contents correlated with cycle threshold (CT) values (R2 = 0.993), with a quantification range of 1 × 102 to 1 × 107 CFU/ml. The correlation between the Campylobacter counts obtained by PMA-PCR and culture on naturally contaminated chickens was high (R2 = 0.844). The amplification efficiency of the Q-PCR method was not affected by the chicken rinse matrix or by the species of Campylobacter. No Q-PCR signals were obtained from artificially inoculated chicken rinse when PMA sample treatment was applied. In conclusion, this study presents a rapid tool for producing reliable quantitative data on viable Campylobacter bacteria in chicken carcass rinse. The proposed method does not detect DNA from dead Campylobacter bacteria but recognizes the infectious potential of the VBNC state and is thereby able to assess the effect of control strategies and provide trustworthy data for risk assessment.

Rapid and specific detection of Salmonella spp. in animal feed samples by PCR after culture enrichment.

ABSTRACT A PCR procedure has been developed for routine analysis of viable Salmonella spp. in feed samples. The objective was to develop a simple PCR-compatible enrichment procedure to enable DNA amplification without any sample pretreatment such as DNA extraction or cell lysis. PCR inhibition by 14 different feed samples and natural background flora was circumvented by the use of the DNA polymerase Tth. This DNA polymerase was found to exhibit a high level of resistance to PCR inhibitors present in these feed samples compared to DyNAzyme II, FastStart Taq, Platinum Taq, Pwo, rTth, Taq, and Tfl. The specificity of the Tth assay was confirmed by testing 101 Salmonella and 43 non-Salmonella strains isolated from feed and food samples. A sample preparation method based on culture enrichment in buffered peptone water and DNA amplification with Tth DNA polymerase was developed. The probability of detecting small numbers of salmonellae in feed, in the presence of natural background flora, was accurately determined and found to follow a logistic regression model. From this model, the probability of detecting 1 CFU per 25 g of feed in artificially contaminated soy samples was calculated and found to be 0.81. The PCR protocol was evaluated on 155 naturally contaminated feed samples and compared to an established culture-based method, NMKL-71. Eight percent of the samples were positive by PCR, compared with 3% with the conventional method. The reasons for the differences in sensitivity are discussed. Use of this method in the routine analysis of animal feed samples would improve safety in the food chain.

Modeling of 5′ Nuclease Real-Time Responses for Optimization of a High-Throughput Enrichment PCR Procedure for Salmonella enterica

ABSTRACT The performance of a 5′ nuclease real-time PCR assay was studied to optimize an automated method of detection of preenriched Salmonella enterica cells in buffered peptone water (BPW). The concentrations and interactions of the PCR reagents were evaluated on the basis of two detection responses, the threshold cycle (CT) and the fluorescence intensity by a normalized reporter value (ΔRn). The CT response was identified as the most suitable for detection modeling to describe the PCR performances of different samples. DNA extracted from S. enterica serovar Enteritidis was studied in double-distilled H2O (ddH2O) and in two different enrichment media (brain heart infusion and BPW) with two PCR mixtures based on AmpliTaq Gold or rTth. A descriptive model was proposed and fitted to the available experimental data. Equivalent PCR performances for the two PCR mixtures were obtained when DNA was diluted in ddH2O. However, the level of detection of DNA was affected when BPW was present during amplification. Use of the rTth mixture generated a 1-log-unit wider linear range of amplification, and the DNA detection levels were 2 × 10−13 g/microwell for the rTth mixture and 2 × 10−12 g/microwell for the AmpliTaq Gold mixture. To verify the improved amplification capacity of the rTth mixture, BPW was inoculated with 1 CFU of S. enterica serovar Enteritidis per ml and the mixture was incubated at 30°C. Samples for PCR were withdrawn every 4 h during a 36-h enrichment. Use of the rTth mixture resulted in an earlier PCR detection during enrichment than use of the AmpliTaq Gold mixture. For accurate detection (CT ≤ 30) of S. enterica serovar Enteritidis inoculated in BPW, the rTth mixture required 8.4 h of enrichment, while the AmpliTaq Gold mixture needed 11.6 h. In conclusion, the principle applied can improve the methodology of 5′ nuclease real-time PCR for numerical optimization of sample pretreatment strategies to provide automated diagnostic PCR procedures.

A novel strategy to obtain quantitative data for modelling: Combined enrichment and real-time PCR for enumeration of salmonellae from pig carcasses

Salmonella is a major zoonotic pathogen which causes outbreaks and sporadic cases of gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. The primary sources for Salmonella are food-producing animals such as pigs and poultry. For risk assessment and hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) concepts, it is essential to produce large amounts of quantitative data, which is currently not achievable with the standard cultural based methods for enumeration of Salmonella. This study presents the development of a novel strategy to enumerate low numbers of Salmonella in cork borer samples taken from pig carcasses as a first concept and proof of principle for a new sensitive and rapid quantification method based on combined enrichment and real-time PCR. The novelty of the approach is in the short pre-enrichment step, where for most bacteria, growth is in the log phase. The method consists of an 8h pre-enrichment of the cork borer sample diluted 1:10 in non-selective buffered peptone water, followed by DNA extraction, and Salmonella detection and quantification by real-time PCR. The limit of quantification was 1.4 colony forming units (CFU)/20 cm(2) (approximately 10 g) of artificially contaminated sample with 95% confidence interval of ± 0.7 log CFU/sample. The precision was similar to the standard reference most probable number (MPN) method. A screening of 200 potentially naturally contaminated cork borer samples obtained over seven weeks in a slaughterhouse resulted in 25 Salmonella-positive samples. The analysis of salmonellae within these samples showed that the PCR method had a higher sensitivity for samples with a low contamination level (<6.7 CFU/sample), where 15 of the samples negative with the MPN method was detected with the PCR method and 5 were found to be negative by both methods. For the samples with a higher contamination level (6.7-310 CFU/sample) a good agreement between the results obtained with the PCR and MPN methods was obtained. The quantitative real-time PCR method can easily be applied to other food and environmental matrices by adaptation of the pre-enrichment time and media.

Validation of a same-day real-time PCR method for screening of meat and carcass swabs for Salmonella

BackgroundOne of the major sources of human Salmonella infections is meat. Therefore, efficient and rapid monitoring of Salmonella in the meat production chain is necessary. Validation of alternative methods is needed to prove that the performance is equal to established methods. Very few of the published PCR methods for Salmonella have been validated in collaborative studies. This study describes a validation including comparative and collaborative trials, based on the recommendations from the Nordic organization for validation of alternative microbiological methods (NordVal) of a same-day, non-commercial real-time PCR method for detection of Salmonella in meat and carcass swabs.ResultsThe comparative trial was performed against a reference method (NMKL-71:5, 1999) using artificially and naturally contaminated samples (60 minced veal and pork meat samples, 60 poultry neck-skins, and 120 pig carcass swabs). The relative accuracy was 99%, relative detection level 100%, relative sensitivity 103% and relative specificity 100%. The collaborative trial included six laboratories testing minced meat, poultry neck-skins, and carcass swabs as un-inoculated samples and samples artificially contaminated with 1–10 CFU/25 g, and 10–100 CFU/25 g. Valid results were obtained from five of the laboratories and used for the statistical analysis. Apart from one of the non-inoculated samples being false positive with PCR for one of the laboratories, no false positive or false negative results were reported. Partly based on results obtained in this study, the method has obtained NordVal approval for analysis of Salmonella in meat and carcass swabs. The PCR method was transferred to a production laboratory and the performance was compared with the BAX Salmonella test on 39 pork samples artificially contaminated with Salmonella. There was no significant difference in the results obtained by the two methods.ConclusionThe real-time PCR method for detection of Salmonella in meat and carcass swabs was validated in comparative and collaborative trials according to NordVal recommendations. The PCR method was found to perform well. The test is currently being implemented for screening of several hundred thousand samples per year at a number of major Danish slaughterhouses to shorten the post-slaughter storage time and facilitate the swift export of fresh meat.

Strategies for overcoming PCR inhibition.

INTRODUCTIONThe use of conventional and real-time PCR is to some extent restricted by the presence of PCR inhibitors. This is particularly so when the techniques are applied directly to complex biological samples such as clinical, environmental, or food samples for the detection of microorganisms. PCR inhibitors can originate from the sample itself, or as a result of the method used to collect or otherwise prepare the sample. Either way, inhibitors can dramatically reduce the sensitivity and amplification efficiency of PCR. This article discusses methods of reducing inhibition and designing reliable and sensitive conventional and real-time PCR experiments.

Diagnostic PCR: comparative sensitivity of four probe chemistries.

Three probe chemistries: locked nucleic acid (LNA), minor groove binder (MGB) and Scorpion were compared with a TaqMan probe in a validated real-time PCR assay for detection of food-borne thermotolerant Campylobacter. The LNA probe produced significantly lower Ct-values and a higher proportion of positive PCR responses analyzing less than 150 DNA copies than the TaqMan probe. Choice of probe chemistry clearly has an impact on the sensitivity of PCR assays, and should be considered in an optimization strategy.

Culture-independent quantification of Salmonella enterica in carcass gauze swabs by flotation prior to real-time PCR

To facilitate quantitative risk assessment in the meat production chain, there is a need for culture-independent quantification methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of flotation, a non-destructive sample preparation method based on traditional buoyant density centrifugation, for culture-independent quantification of intact Salmonella in pig carcass gauze swabs (100 cm(2)) prior to quantitative PCR (qPCR). A novel approach was investigated, excluding the homogenization step prior to flotation, to improve the detection limit and speed up the quantification procedure. The buoyant density of two Salmonella strains in different growth conditions was determined to be 1.065-1.092 g/ml. Based on these data, an optimal discontinuous flotation with three different density layers, ~1.200, 1.102 and 1.055 g/ml, was designed for extracting intact Salmonella cells from pig carcass swabs. The method allowed accurate quantification from 4.4 × 10(2) to at least 2.2 × 10(7)CFU Salmonella per swab sample using qPCR (without preceding DNA extraction) or selective plating on xylose lysine deoxycholate agar. Samples with 50CFU could be detected occasionally but fell outside the linear range of the standard curve. The swab samples showed a broad biological diversity; for seven samples not inoculated with Salmonella, the microbial background flora (BGF) was determined to 5.0 ± 2.2 log CFU/ml sample withdrawn after flotation. It was determined that the proceeding PCR step was inhibited by BGF concentrations of ≥ 6.1 × 10(8)CFU/swab sample, but not by concentrations ≤ 6.1 × 10(6)CFU/swab sample. By using the gauze swabs directly in the flotation procedure, the homogenization step normally used for preparation of food-related samples could be excluded, which simplified the culture-independent quantification method considerably.