title: Rapid detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae by real-time fluorescence loop-mediated isothermal amplification.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A significant human pathogenic bacterium, Streptococcus pneumoniae was recognized as a major cause of pneumonia, and is the subject of many humoral immunity studies. Diagnosis is generally made based on clinical suspicion along with a positive culture from a sample from virtually any place in the body. But the testing time is too long. This study is to establish a rapid diagnostic method to identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our laboratory has recently developed a new platform called real-amp, which combines loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with a portable tube scanner real-time isothermal instrument for the rapid detection of Streptococcus pneumonia. Two pairs of amplification primers required for this method were derived from a conserved DNA sequence unique to the Streptococcus pneumoniae. The amplification was carried out at 63 degree Celsius using SYBR Green for 60 minutes with the tube scanner set to collect fluorescence signals. Clinical samples of Streptococcus pneumoniae and other bacteria were used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the primers by comparing with traditional culture method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The new set of primers consistently detected in laboratory-maintained isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from our hospital. The new primers also proved to be more sensitive than the published species-specific primers specifically developed for the LAMP method in detecting Streptococcus pneumoniae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that the Streptococcus pneumoniae LAMP primers developed here have the ability to accurately detect Streptococcus pneumoniae infections by real-time fluorescence LAMP.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong 510000, China ; 2 Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Clinical College of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong 510000, China ; 3 Center for Severe maternal Treatment of Guangzhou City, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong 510000, China ; 4 Center for Clinical Laboratory Medicine of PLA, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710000, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong 510000, China ; 2 Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Clinical College of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong 510000, China ; 3 Center for Severe maternal Treatment of Guangzhou City, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong 510000, China ; 4 Center for Clinical Laboratory Medicine of PLA, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710000, China.
authors.forename: Xu-Guang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong 510000, China ; 2 Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Clinical College of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong 510000, China ; 3 Center for Severe maternal Treatment of Guangzhou City, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong 510000, China ; 4 Center for Clinical Laboratory Medicine of PLA, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710000, China.
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
keywords: Streptococcus pneumoniae; loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP); real-time