Quantitative real-time PCR for detection of Acinetobacter baumannii colonization in the hospital environment.
A real-time PCR assay was developed for detecting the presence of Acinetobacter baumannii on hospital equipment and compared to conventional bacterial culture using 100 hospital environmental samples. The real-time PCR detected contaminated surfaces in 4 h with high sensitivity (100%) compared to conventional culture. Thirty-eight percent of samples were positive by real-time PCR and negative by bacterial culture (false positives), possibly indicating the widespread presence of bacterial DNA that is not associated with viable bacteria.
Unit of Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, and Preventive Medicine and Institute of Biomedicine of Sevilla (IBiS), University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain. mcconnell.mike75@gmail.com
Michael J
MJ
McConnell
Ana
A
Pérez-Ordóñez
Pilar
P
Pérez-Romero
Raquel
R
Valencia
José Antonio
JA
Lepe
Isabel
I
Vázquez-Barba
Jerónimo
J
Pachón
D040981:Acinetobacter baumannii / Q000235:genetics*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D046508:Culture Techniques; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D004865:Equipment and Supplies, Hospital / Q000382:microbiology*; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017751:Safety Management
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C078167:OMPA outer membrane proteins