Development and Clinical Application of a Recombinase Polymerase Amplification-Lateral Flow Strip Assay for Detection of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is a worldwide, primary cause of respiratory tract infections, septicemia, urinary apparatus infections, and secondary meningitis. It can be fatal. Rapid and accurate detection methods are needed to control the spread of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB). Current molecular diagnostic methods are limited and not suitable for on-site detection. In this study, an isothermal detection method using recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with a lateral flow strip (LFS) was developed to target the bla(OXA-51) and bla(OXA-23) genes of A. baumannii. The reaction was completed in about 40 min at 37 degrees C. This method can also effectively distinguish A. baumannii and CRAB. The limit of detection of 10(0)-10(1) CFU/reaction was equal to that of other detection methods. The detection accuracy was equal to that of the qPCR method with the use of clinical samples. The RPA-LFS assay is portable, rapid, and accurate and could replace existing detection methods for on-site detection of A. baumannii and CRAB.

Automated summary

A rapid and accurate detection method using RPA-LFS was developed for A. baumannii and CRAB, showing potential for replacing existing detection methods. The detection accuracy of this method with clinical samples is comparable to that of qPCR.