Establishment of a rapid detection method of Ureaplasma urealyticum based on recombinant polymerase amplification

Ureaplasma urealyticum(UU),is one of the most vital pathogens causing genitourinary tract infections of the body,and it can result in poor maternal and perinatal outcomes.The aim of this study was to establish a method to detect Ureaplasma urealyticum based on recombinant polymerase amplification(RPA)technique.Specific primers and probes were designed according to the 16sRNA gene sequence of Ureaplasma urealyticum.Six pathogens were detected for real-time fluorescence RPA specificity verification,including Mycoplasma hominis(MH),Chlamydia trachomatis(CT),Neisseria gonorrhoeae(NG),Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli,and Lactobacillus vaginalis.The sensitivity of the method was performed by gradient dilution of the extracted template.A total of 60 clinical samples were detected by the established real-time fluorescence RPA.Detection of Ureaplasma urealyticum can be completed within 20 minutes at 39°C using established RPA method.The minimum detection limit of Ureaplasma urealyticum by real-time fluorescence RPA was 3 pg.The evaluation of 60 clinical samples proved that RPA method was feasible.A high specificity,sensitivity,simplicity and rapidity method for Ureaplasma urealyticum detection was successfully established based on the real-time fluorescence RPA method.

A Microfluidic System with Active Mixing for Improved Real-Time Isothermal Amplification

To improve the performance of real-time recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA),a microfluidic system with active mixing is developed to optimize the reaction dynamics.Instead of adopting a single typical reaction chamber,a specific reactor including a relatively large chamber in center with two adjacent zig-zag channels at two sides is integrated into the microfluidic chip.Active mixing is achieved by driving the viscous reagent between the chamber and the channel back and forth periodically with an outside compact peristaltic pump.To avoid reagent evapora-tion,one end of the reactor is sealed with paraffin oil.A hand-held companion device is developed to facilitate real-time RPA amplification within 20 min.The whole area of the reactor is heated with a resistance heater to provide uniform reaction temperature.To achieve real-time monitoring,a compact fluorescence detection module is integrated into the hand-held device.A smartphone with custom application software is adopted to control the hand-held device and display the real-time fluorescence curves.The performances of two cases with and without active on-chip mixing are compared between each other by detecting African swine fever viruses.It has been demonstrated that,with active on-chip mixing,the amplification efficiency and detection sensitivity can be signifi-cantly improved.

A recombinase polymerase amplification with lateral flow assay for rapid on-the-spot detection of Aeromonas salmonicida

Aeromonas salmonicida is a common pathogen of salmonid fishes that poses a significant threat to the fresh water and marine culture industry,potentially resulting in huge economic losses.To prevent and control fish diseases caused by A.salmonicida,rapid and effective diagnostic approaches must be developed,and which are important for routine monitoring and clinical care.By combining recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA)technology with a visible lateral flow strip(RPA-LF),we have enhanced both the precision of RPA detection and the convenience of real-time monitoring.In this study,we introduce a robust method for detecting A.salmonicida using RPA-LF.This assay specifically targets the ASA_1441 gene of A.salmonicida,ensuring high specificity,without cross-reactivity with other prevalent fresh water or marine pathogens.The optimal amplification temperature of the RPA assay was 39℃.Its sensitivity extends to as low as 100 fg of purified DNA,representing more than 1000-fold higher sensitivity than conventional PCR methods.Furthermore,to enhance the usability of the RPA-LF assay,we developed a rapid sample preparation method using cellulose dipsticks for nucleic acid extraction.This method achieves a limit of detection(LOD)as low as 1.67 CFU/μL and completes the entire process within 20 min.In conclusion,our findings present a rapid and precise tool for monitoring A.salmonicida infection in aquaculture and marine culture.This advancement offers valuable insights for effective disease prevention and control strategies.

Development of A Super-Sensitive Diagnostic Method for African Swine Fever Using CRISPR Techniques

African swine fever(ASF)is an infectious disease caused by African swine fever virus(ASFV)with clinical symptoms of high fever,hemorrhages and high mortality rate,posing a threat to the global swine industry and food security.Quarantine and control of ASFV is crucial for preventing swine industry from ASFV infection.In this study,a recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA)-CRISPR-based nucleic acid detection method was developed for diagnosing ASF.As a highly sensitive method,RPA-CRISPR can detect even a single copy of ASFV plasmid and genomic DNA by determining fluorescence signal induced by collateral cleavage of CRISPR-lw Cas13 a(previously known as C2c2)through quantitative real-time PCR(q PCR)and has the same or even higher sensitivity than the traditional q PCR method.A lateral flow strip was developed and used in combination with RPA-CRISPR for ASFV detection with the same level of sensitivity of Taq Man q PCR.Likewise,RPA-CRISPR is capable of distinguishing ASFV genomic DNA from viral DNA/RNA of other porcine viruses without any cross-reactivity.This diagnostic method is also available for diagnosing ASFV clinical DNA samples with coincidence rate of 100%for both ASFV positive and negative samples.RPA-CRISPR has great potential for clinical quarantine of ASFV in swine industry and food security.