Multiplex bead suspension array for screening Neisseria gonorrhoeae antibiotic resistance genetic determinants in noncultured clinical samples.

Sergey Balashov, Eli Mordechai, Martin E Adelson, Scott E Gygax

Index: J. Mol. Diagn. 15(1) , 116-29, (2013)

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Abstract

The increasing threat of antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae highlights the need for new diagnostic options. A high-throughput multiplex bead suspension array assay was developed for profiling 29 N. gonorrhoeae genomic mutations and 2 plasmid genes conferring resistance to 6 antimicrobial agents: penicillin, ciprofloxacin, cefixime, tetracycline, azithromycin, and spectinomycin. The three steps of this assay include amplification of 12 N. gonorrhoeae chromosomal and plasmid loci, multiplex allele-specific primer extension reaction, and multiplex bead suspension array detection. Antibiotic resistance genetic determinants were identified successfully in 239 cervicovaginal N. gonorrhoeae-positive noncultured swab samples. This molecular assay can be used for detection of gonococci in clinical specimens, molecular typing, mutation profiling, and predictive assessment of N. gonorrhoeae susceptibility to antibiotics without the need for culture.Copyright © 2013 American Society for Investigative Pathology and the Association for Molecular Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.