RT-qPCR detection of Aspergillus fumigatus RNA in vitro and in a murine model of invasive aspergillosis utilizing the PAXgene® and Tempus™ RNA stabilization systems

Med Mycol. 2012 Aug;50(6):661-6. doi: 10.3109/13693786.2011.652200. Epub 2012 Jan 23.

Abstract

Molecular diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a potentially life-saving tool in the care of at-risk individuals. To date, the development of PCR-based diagnostic tests has been hampered by the lack of standardization in the methods for such critical activities. In this study, we used both spiked volunteer blood samples and a murine model of IA to test the utility of the PAXgene and Tempus systems for stabilization and isolation of fungal RNA from blood as part of an evaluation of a new diagnostic strategy. In spiking experiments, RNA isolation followed by RT-qPCR that targeted the 18S gene was compared to a standard DNA isolation and qPCR assay that targeted the ITS ribosomal region. We demonstrated that both PAXgene and Tempus RNA stabilization and extraction systems followed by RT-qPCR had similar performance in detecting fungal RNA in blood samples from Aspergillus fumigates-infected mice. In spiked samples, the Tempus system performed better than the PAXgene system as it detected 100% of all samples spiked with 10 or 20 germinated Aspergillus conidia/ml blood sample as compared to the PAXgene system which detected 33% and 56% of the samples spiked with 10 or 20 conidia/ml, respectively. The stabilization of fungal nucleic acids in blood samples and its efficient isolation by a commercial method is an important step in the development of standardized molecular diagnostic tools that are needed to improve the outcomes for individuals with IA.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aspergillosis / diagnosis*
  • Aspergillosis / microbiology
  • Aspergillus fumigatus / genetics
  • Aspergillus fumigatus / isolation & purification*
  • Aspergillus fumigatus / pathogenicity
  • DNA, Fungal / blood
  • DNA, Fungal / genetics
  • Genes, Fungal
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • RNA Stability*
  • RNA, Fungal / blood*
  • RNA, Fungal / genetics
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / analysis*
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / genetics
  • Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Spores, Fungal / genetics

Substances

  • DNA, Fungal
  • RNA, Fungal
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 18S
  • Reagent Kits, Diagnostic