Evaluation of the combination of the NucliSENS easyMAG® and the EasyQ® applications for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae in respiratory tract specimens

• Published in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 187 - 190
• Main Authors: Béssède, E, Renaudin, H, Clerc, M, de Barbeyrac, B, Bébéar, C, Pereyre, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.02.2010; Springer-Verlag; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bacteriological Techniques - methods; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Body Fluids - microbiology; Chlamydophila Infections - diagnosis; Chlamydophila Infections - microbiology; Chlamydophila pneumoniae - isolation & purification; Community involvement; Humans; Internal Medicine; Medical Microbiology; Microorganisms; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques - methods; Mycoplasma pneumoniae - isolation & purification; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques - methods; Nucleic acids; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma - diagnosis; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma - microbiology; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; Respiratory System - microbiology; Respiratory tract; Sensitivity and Specificity; Respiratory Specimen; Mycoplasma Pneumoniae; PMP4 Gene; Nasopharyngeal Aspirate; Nucleic Acid Extraction
• ISSN: 0934-9723; 1435-4373
• DOI: 10.1007/s10096-009-0839-9

Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae are respiratory tract pathogens frequently involved in community-acquired pneumonia, but are fastidious microorganisms. Their direct detection mainly requires molecular amplification techniques. A nucleic acid extraction system, NucliSENS easyMAG®, and a real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) technique, NucliSENS EasyQ®, were recently developed by bioMérieux to detect both bacteria. The aim of our study was to compare the easyMAG/EasyQ combination with our in-house combination, MagNA Pure extraction (Roche) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), to detect both bacteria in respiratory tract specimens. The analytical specificities of both combinations were similar. A higher analytical sensitivity was found for C. pneumoniae using the easyMAG/EasyQ combination, since the easyMAG/EasyQ system detected nucleic acid extracts 10⁶ times more diluted than the in-house combination. Both combinations were equivalent when detecting M. pneumoniae in positive respiratory tract samples. Finally, the easyMAG/EasyQ combination is a potential useful tool for the detection of both bacteria regarding sensitivity, specificity, monitoring, and standardization of the procedure.