Open AccessDevelopment of species‐specific primers for detection of Streptococcus pyogenes from throat swabs
Author(s) -
Thenmozhi Ramalingam,
Balaji Kannan,
Kanagavel Murugesan,
Karutha Pandian Shunmugiah
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2010.01939.x
Subject(s) - streptococcus pyogenes , rapd , biology , primer (cosmetics) , pathogen , microbiology and biotechnology , throat , polymerase chain reaction , molecular epidemiology , genetics , bacteria , staphylococcus aureus , genotype , gene , population , medicine , chemistry , genetic diversity , environmental health , organic chemistry , anatomy
A species‐specific molecular marker has been developed to detect the human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes from throat swabs. Streptococcus pyogenes is an important pathogen among Gram‐positive organisms. A rapid and simple diagnostic tool is of utmost importance for the identification of this pathogen. The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was used to differentiate the S. pyogenes strains. A differentially amplified fragment obtained from RAPD profiles was sequenced and characterized, which was developed into a sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker to evaluate the specificity of S. pyogenes from other species of Streptococcus . The sensitivity of the SCAR primers was studied by qualitative PCR and the detection limit was found to be 10 −1 ng of genomic DNA or one to two cells of S. pyogenes . The specificity of the primers was assayed in 270 clinical throat swabs wherein 23 samples turned to be positive, which was highly significant over culture‐based methods. This species‐specific primer enables accurate detection of S. pyogenes from clinical samples and will be a useful tool in epidemiological studies.