AUTHOR=Wang Yan , Liu Aibo , Fu Mei , Guo Jingjing , Wang Lei , Zuo Xiaohua , Ma Fenfen 

TITLE=Establishment and Clinical Application of a RPA-LFS Assay for Detection of Capsulated and Non-Capsulated Haemophilus influenzae

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.878813

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2022.878813

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p>A recombinase polymerase amplification-lateral flow strip assay was established for detection of the outer membrane protein P6 (<italic>omp6</italic>) and the capsule encoding gene <italic>bexA</italic> of <italic>Haemophilus influenzae</italic> and the detection limit, sensitivity, and specificity were determined. Specific primers and probes were designed based on the published nucleotide sequences of <italic>omp6</italic> and <italic>bexA</italic>. The minimum detection limit was determined with standard strains and the practical applicability of the RPA-LFS assay was assessed by detection of 209 clinical samples. The results confirmed that the RPA-LFS assay was both specific and sensitive for the detection of capsulated and non-capsulated <italic>H. influenzae</italic> with a detection limit of 1 CFU/µL. The detection rate of the 209 clinical samples was 97.1%, while the detection rate of capsulated <italic>H. influenzae</italic> was 63.2%. The detection results were consistent with the traditional culture method and dual polymerase chain reaction (PCR), confirming the applicability of the RPA-LFS assay.</p>