Wk. Fong et al., Rapid solid-phase immunoassay for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using cycling probe technology, J CLIN MICR, 38(7), 2000, pp. 2525-2529
A Cycling Probe Technology (CPT) assay with a lateral-flow device (strip) w
as developed for the detection of the mecA gene from methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cultures. The assay uses a mecA probe (DNA-RNA
-DNA) labeled with fluorescein at the 5' terminus and biotin at the 3' term
inus. The CPT reaction occurs at a constant temperature, which allows the p
robe to anneal to the target DNA. RNase H cuts the RNA portion of the probe
, allowing the cleaved fragments to dissociate from the target DNA, making
the target available for further cycling. The strip detection step uses a n
itrocellulose membrane with streptavidin and immunoglobulin G antibody impr
egnated on the surface. In the absence of the mecA gene, the uncut probe Is
bound to an antifluorescein-gold conjugate and is then captured by the str
eptavidin to form a test line. In the presence of the mecA gene, the probe
is cut and no test line is formed on the strip. A screen of 324 S, aureus c
linical isolates by the CPT-strip assay showed a 99.4% sensitivity and a 10
0% specificity compared to the results of PCR for the detection of the mecA
gene, Specificity testing showed that the CPT-strip assay did not exhibit
any cross-reactivity with a panel of mecA-negative non-S, aureus isolates.
The CPT-strip assay is simple and does not require sophisticated equipment.
Furthermore, the assay takes 1.5 h starting from a primary culture to the
time to detection of the mecA gene in S, aureus isolates.