Development of Multiplex-Mismatch Amplification Mutation-PCR Assay for Simultaneous Detection of Campylobacter jejuni and Mutation in gyrA Gene Related to Fluoroquinolone Resistance.

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni, a foodborne pathogen, is the major cause of enteritis in humans worldwide, however, its increasing resistance to fluoroquinolones reported recently is of a major concern. In the present study, multiplex-mismatch amplification mutation assay-polymerase chain reaction (MMAMA-PCR) was developed for the first time with the aim to quickly identify C. jejuni and to detect the single nucleotide mutation (C-257 to T) frequently observed in gyrA gene, associated with the acquisition of resistance to fluoroquinolones. In this assay, mismatch amplification mutation primers for the detection of gyrA mutation in C. jejuni were coupled with primers for the hip gene encoding for hippuricase and 16S rRNA gene of C. jejuni, respectively, in the multiplex PCR assay. The specificity and accuracy of this method were analyzed by the use of 78 C. jejuni strains with previously confirmed resistance phenotypes and the mutation (C-257 to T) in gyrA gene, as well as 107 clinical isolates of various bacterial species, including 29 C. jejuni isolates. This study indicates that MMAMA-PCR is a promising assay for the rapid identification of C. jejuni with a specific mutation in gyrA gene, responsible for the resistance to fluoroquinolones.