Rapid detection of NDM and VIM carbapenemase encoding genes by recombinase polymerase amplification and lateral flow–based detection

• DOI: 10.1007/s10096-021-04267-6
• Publication Date: 2021-05-11T12:03:44Z
• Authors: Abdulrahman K. S....; Joanne Macdonald; Patrick N. A. Harris; Claire Heney; David L. Paterson; Ella Trembizki; Claire Y. T. Wang; David M. Whiley; Hosam M. Zowawi; Adam D. Irwin
• Keywords: Recombinase Polymerase Amplification

Carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPOs) pose a serious clinical threat and rapid detection tools are essential to aid in patient management. We developed rapid and simple molecular tests to detect blaNDM-type and blaVIM-type carbapenemase genes using recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with a lateral flow detection. The tests could provide results in approximately 15 min when using DNA extracts, with limits of detection of 9.2 copies/μl for the blaNDM-type assay and 7.5 copies/μl for blaVIM-type assay, and successfully detected all isolates harbouring the carbapenemase encoding genes in a panel of 57 isolates. These RPA tests may be suitable for use in low-resource settings to tailor rapid implementation of infection control precautions and antibiotic stewardship.