Simple and rapid detection method for qepA1 by loop-mediated isothermal amplification
Although fluoroquinolone (FQ) has been used for the treatment of various bacterial infectious diseases, its continued use has been problematic given the appearance of FQ-resistant bacteria. However, the recent discovery of four plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes comprising qnr1）, aac(6’)Ib-cr 2）, qepA3） and OqxAB4） since 19985） has provided insights in the area of FQ-resistance. For practical detection of qepA in microbiology laboratory, a specific, simple, rapid and cost-effective isothermal amplification method designated as LAMP is the good candidate to use. In this study, the development of a new detection method using LAMP to identify qepA1, one variant of the qepA gene, was tried. As the results, the LAMP method using a qepA1-specific LAMP primer set comprising five primers could detect all four qepA1-positive strains in addition to 17 qepA1-negative strains. The LAMP method is clearly much more advantageous for use in clinical laboratories. Furthermore, the time and accuracy benefits allow for the selection of antibiotics in a clinical setting. doi：10.11482/KMJ-E42（1）25 (Accepted on Jun 6, 2016)
