Evaluation of PCR methods for the diagnosis of pertussis by the European surveillance network for vaccine-preventable diseases (EUVAC.NET)

T. Dalby*, N. K. Fry, K. A. Krogfelt, J. S. Jensen, Q. He

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods used for the diagnosis of pertussis in laboratories within Europe in 2011. National reference laboratories in 25 European countries were contacted and a total of 24 laboratories from 19 countries agreed to participate in the study. A panel of seven samples of DNA from Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella holmesii plus a negative control were distributed and analysed according to the routine PCR methods in each laboratory. The study took place in 2011. Nineteen laboratories used a real-time PCR approach, four laboratories used block-based PCR and one laboratory used a combination of methods. Six different combinations of amplification targets were used, and ten laboratories tested only for the presence of B. pertussis DNA. All laboratories (24/24) correctly identified a sample with high concentration of B. pertussis DNA, while three misidentified the B. parapertussis DNA as B. pertussis and 15 misidentified the B. holmesii DNA as either B. pertussis or B. parapertussis. There was a wide variation in the methods used for PCR-based diagnosis of pertussis among the European laboratories. Several laboratories were not able to discriminate between DNA samples from different Bordetella species.

Original languageEnglish
JournalEuropean Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Volume32
Issue number10
Pages (from-to)1285-1289
Number of pages5
ISSN0934-9723
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Pertussis
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction Method
  • Bordetella Pertussis
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction Approach

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