title: Molecular diagnosis of Kingella kingae osteoarticular infections by specific real-time PCR assay.
abstract: Kingella kingae is an emerging pathogen that is recognized as a causative agent of septic arthritis and osteomyelitis, primarily in infants and children. The bacterium is best detected by rapid inoculation in blood culture systems or by real-time PCR assays. Pathogenesis of the agent was linked recently to the production of a potent cytotoxin, known as RTX, which is toxic to a variety of human cell types. The locus encoding the RTX toxin is thought to be a putative virulence factor, and is, apparently, essential for inducing cytotoxic effects on respiratory epithelial, synovial and macrophage-like cells. Herein, we describe a novel real-time PCR assay that targets the RTX toxin gene and illustrate its use in two clinical cases. The assay exhibited a sensitivity of 30 c.f.u., which is 10-fold more sensitive than a previously published semi-nested broad-range 16S rRNA gene PCR, and showed no cross-reactivity with several related species and common osteoarticular pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Service of Infectious Diseases, University of Geneva Hospitals (HUG), CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Abdessalam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cherkaoui
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Orthopedic Service, University of Geneva Hospitals (HUG), CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ceroni
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Service of Infectious Diseases, University of Geneva Hospitals (HUG), CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Emonet
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Orthopedic Service, University of Geneva Hospitals (HUG), CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lefevre
authors.affiliation: Genomic Research Laboratory, Service of Infectious Diseases, University of Geneva Hospitals (HUG), CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.|Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Service of Infectious Diseases, University of Geneva Hospitals (HUG), CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schrenzel
mesh_terms: D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D033023:Foot Joints / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D017882:Kingella kingae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008297:Male; D016870:Neisseriaceae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity