Droplet digital PCR as an emerging tool in detecting pathogens nucleic acids in infectious diseases

Biao Chen; Yufeng Jiang; Xiaohua Cao; Chen Liu; Ning Zhang; Dongmei Shi

doi:10.1016/j.cca.2021.02.008

Droplet digital PCR as an emerging tool in detecting pathogens nucleic acids in infectious diseases

Clin Chim Acta. 2021 Jun:517:156-161. doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2021.02.008. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Authors

Biao Chen¹, Yufeng Jiang², Xiaohua Cao³, Chen Liu⁴, Ning Zhang⁴, Dongmei Shi⁵

Affiliations

¹ Postdoctoral of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 210355, China; The Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Jining No. 1 People's Hospital, Jining 272111, China.
² Postdoctoral of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 210355, China; Department of Medical Laboratory, Jining No. 1 People's Hospital, Jining 272111, China.
³ Intensive Care Unit, Jining No. 1 People's Hospital, Jining 272111, China.
⁴ The Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Jining No. 1 People's Hospital, Jining 272111, China.
⁵ The Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Jining No. 1 People's Hospital, Jining 272111, China; Department of Dermatology, Jining No. 1 People's Hospital, Jining, Shandong Province, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 33662358
DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2021.02.008

Abstract

The microbial infectious diseases (infectious diseases) represent the leading global public health problem, and the effective treatment depends on rapid and accurate detection of pathogens. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), a new assay that combines microfluidics technology with TaqMan-based PCR, provides absolute quantification without the need of the standard curves. With the development of ddPCR, it has become an ideal tool for microorganism detection. In this review, we summarized the major literature with regard to the application of ddPCR in detecting the pathogenic microorganisms of infectious diseases, including bacteria, fungi, and virus. The ddPCR method has the advantages of detecting the targeted DNA of infectious microorganisms, with high sensitivity, high precision, and absolute quantification. Thus, ddPCR has emerged as a promising and reliable tool in detecting pathogenicmicroorganisms.

Keywords: Bacteria; Droplet digital PCR; Fungus; Infection microbial; Infectious disease; Virus.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Communicable Diseases* / diagnosis
DNA
Humans
Nucleic Acids*
Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

Nucleic Acids
DNA