The subject-matter of the invention is a pair of primers, a method of microbiological analysis of biomaterial, application of NGS sequencing method in microbiological diagnostics of blood and diagnostics kit. An innovative method of body fluids diagnosing from microbiological perspective i.e. complex analysis of bacterial profiles in the samples was developed in more detailed manner.
Microbiological diagnostics of blood is one of the most challenging diagnostics procedures. Presence of bacteria in blood (bacteriema) results frequently in sepsis, i.e. systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by infection. Sepsis is included into one of the most challenging issues of concern of today's medicine.
Effective diagnosing the etiological factors behind systemic inflammatory response in sepsis is the key and most difficult problem deciding on treatment effectiveness and, in effect, on costs and duration of hospitalization in blood infection treatment. Determination of etiological factor allows for application of an effective and targeted antibiotic therapy. The material subject to diagnostic test is blood taken from the patient with clinical symptoms of sepsis. To this time, blood cultures on special media, preferably in automatic culture system, were considered the ‘golden diagnostic standard’. The advantages of these methods include their simplicity and relatively low cost of test performance. Weak point of blood culture-based method is its time consumption, reaching even up to 5 days (until the test result is obtained) and low sensitivity, resulting in only 15-20% of cultures with microorganism growth. In addition, usually only a single bacteria species is detected, despite that their number in the patient's blood may be higher.
To increase the probability of detecting microbiological factors in blood, multiple attempts of basing the detection on genetic methods are taken. These methods are based on nucleic acids of microorganisms in blood, such as PCR or FISH (Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization) and enable faster detection of even trace microorganisms in the samples. Sensitivity of molecular methods is much higher comparing to the culture method. In addition, earlier antibiotic therapy has no impact on test result due to no need to obtain bacteria or fungi growth on a culture medium. The only task is to detect their DNA or RNA sequence.
There are very few diagnostic sets applied in molecular diagnostics of sepsis currently available on the market, including among others SeptiFast (Roche), SeptiTest (Molzym) or VYOO (SIRS-Lab). These enable detection of the selected microorganism species or groups thereof, which allow only for confirmation of the infection rather than its exclusion. An alternative approach, consisting in detecting all possible microorganisms, is allowable—enabling both confirmation and exclusion of sepsis and, in addition, identifying the microorganisms as Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria and yeast and mould fungi. Development of effective molecular methods of bacteria and fungi detection in blood continues to be an issue requiring further research.
Blood culture method as well as the available molecular methods are not fully effective, despite the fact that the patients demonstrate the sepsis symptoms. Skipping the limitations of the described methods, a question about incidence rate and taxonomic diversity of bacteriemas arises.
Since recently, the microbiologists apply the sequencing technique of the new generation (NGS—New Generation Sequencing), enabling identification of all bacteria species in the sample, along with their taxonomic classification, i.e. 16S metagenomic analysis. This method is applied for detailed analysis of human and animal microbiome and testing environmental samples, for example soil or seawater samples. The NGS technology allows for elimination of the a/m difficulties.
The NGS course may be divided into three main stages. The first one is DNA isolation, the second one amplification aiming at creating the DNA library, whereas the last one is mass parallel sequencing. At present, there are several commercially sequencing platforms available on the market, among others Illumina, Roche454, SOLiD, IonTorrent and Pacific Biosciences. Common features of all these platforms include DNA isolation and single-stranded DNA library. The subsequent sequencing stages differ depending on the selected platform. Each of them has other intended use and specific technical parameters. All NGS methods are highly efficient.
In the international patent application (publ. no. WO2014/190394), the methods of identification and/or classification of microorganisms, applying one or more Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) in Procaryota and/or one or more polymorphisms in 5.8S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), 5,8S, were revealed.
In addition, the probes, primers and sets used in the described methods were revealed. Also the sepsis diagnosing methods based on the reserved SNP were revealed.
The international patent application (publ. no. WO2004043236) reveals early prediction or diagnosing sepsis, enabling clinical intervention before progress of disease (i.e. at early stadium). Early diagnosing is made with the use of molecular diagnostics method by comparing biomarker expression profile of a given subject to the profiles obtained in one or more control samples.
Patent applications and descriptions such as EP 2547782, EP 2087134, EP 1978111 or EP 2009118 reveal application of PCR methods for detection of specific microorganisms based on the designed primers.
Polish patent application no. P 403 996 reveals the method of bacteria and fungi detection in biological materials ample, within which DNA contained in the sample is amplified under the PCR reaction in real time in the multiplex system, with the use of bacteria specific primers and fungi specific primers at the first stage, whereas at the second stage the formed DNA is amplified with the use of primers and probes differentiating fungi into mould and yeast fungi and bacteria into Gram positive and Gram negative. The invention covers also the new oligonucleotide primers for bacteria and fungi detection using the PCR method and sets for simultaneous fungi and bacteria detection.
Polish patent application no. PL 219 490 reveals the method enabling simultaneous bacterial and fungal DNA isolation in blood. The method uses enzymatic, mechanical and thermal lysis.
The aim of the invention is supplying the new primers for amplification and the new method of diagnosing the patients with clinical sepsis symptoms. The objective adopted by the Authors includes quantitative and taxonomic identification of microorganisms in blood of patient with clinical sepsis symptoms thanks to application of NGS technique.
Despite multiple microorganism detection solutions available on the market, there is still a need of works on this issue and searches for faster and more precise methods. There has been no NGS test for specialist application in microbiological blood diagnostic or other clinical samples available on the market yet—there are only general-purpose scientific sets enabling gene sequencing or RNA or entire genomes sequencing, DNA methylation research and other tests. Such tests are manufactured by several producers, including, (http://www.illumina.com/technology/next-generation-sequencing.html, http://454.com/applications/index.asp, or https://www.lifetechnologies.com/pl/en/home/life-science/sequencing/next-generation-sequencing.html).
The subject-matter of the invention are primers for bacteria detection with the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) characterised in that it these are composed of oligonucleotides of the following sequence:
Advantageously, the primers enable 16sDNA region amplification.
The other subject-matter of the invention is the method of microbiological biomaterial analysis characterized in that it isolates microorganism DNA from biomaterial with the use of enzymatic, mechanical and thermal lysis. Then DNA is amplified under the PCR reaction with the use of primers described in claim 1, followed by NGS method-based sequencing procedure for the previously amplified sequences, in line with the protocol provided by the sequencing platform producer.
Advantageously, when the biomaterial is any biological fluid.
Advantageously, when the biomaterial is blood.
Advantageously, when the tested blood derives from patients with clinical sepsis symptoms.
Advantageously, when the method is characterized in that the amplification is carried out using the ready-to-use PCR set composed of polymerase, reaction buffer, dNTPs and MgCl2.
Advantageously, when polymerase is polymerase of low error rate in the amplified products.
Advantageously, the method comprises of the following stages: purification, labelling of the sequenced samples, post-PCR reaction product purification, determination of concentration of the purified libraries, denaturation and thinning of the internal library control and preparation of a final library.
Advantageously, the method is characterized in that the sequencing consists in simultaneous reading of sequence of the produced DNA library coding the bacterial 16SrRNA regions, and at the initial alignment of sequences to specific taxons at different taxonomic levels.
Another subject-matter of the invention is applying the NGS method in microbiological diagnostics of blood.
Yet another subject-matter of the invention is a diagnostic set intended for sepsis diagnosing, characterized in that it contains the primers described under claim 1 and commercial sub-modules necessary to carry out the NGS process:
The invention is the new method of using the existing NGS technology enabling, among others, complex research of the bacteria profiles in the samples. Until now, no potential of using this technique for blood testing in patients with sepsis has been described. Another feature distinguishing the said solution from currently available techniques is using of the designed pair of startes to perform amplification in the Nested PCR system, preceding the NGS process.
The invention enables innovative approach to the issue of micriobiological diagnostics of blood. (Scientific) sets for NGS process currently available on the market are of general use—these enable testing any type of samples (clinical or environmental). NGS may be also applied to medical diagnostics in bacteriological tests—this technique (NGS) allows for obtaining the holistic illustration of bacterial DNA presence in the sample e.g. blood sample.
Application of specific PCR primers in NGS reaction is recommended, however the Authors of the said invention designed an additional pair of startes enabling amplification of the V3 and V4 16sDNA regions to perform PCR amplification in the Nested system, which results in significant increase of the NGS method sensitivity.
The invention is the new method of application of purely scientific new generation sequencing method. The entire process requires isolation of microorganism DNA from blood; carrying of the 16sDNA amplification to form a library and its NGS sequencing. The sequencer provides quantitative and qualitative taxonomic breakdown of all bacteria present in the sample, however with an opportunity of further bioinformatic processing to obtain more detailed information.
The core of the solution was presented in the embodiment examples described below, nature of which does not limit the scope of protection.
An experimental verification on DNA samples isolated from blood of patients with suspected sepsis (n=42) and healthy patients (n=13) was performed. The patients were made eligible for the study by the anesthesiologists based on presence of clinical sepsis symptoms. The blood collection procedure was carried out in compliance with the guidelines in force for blood collection for culture purposes, to confirm bacteria presence using the culture method. Difference in bacterial composition (their DNA) in both groups of patients was confirmed.
1. 1.5 ml of full blood was added to 6 mL of 0.17 M ammonium chloride
2. The samples were incubated in 37° C. for 20 minutes,
3. The samples were centrifuged with a speed of 10000 rpm for 10 minutes,
4. Supernanat was removed,
5. The precipitate was suspended in 100 μl of lysozyme (2 mg/ml) and lysostaphin solution (0.2 mg/ml) in PBS buffer,
6. The samples were conveyed to test-tubes with glass beads 700-1100 μm and mechanically disintegrated for 20 seconds at 4.0 m/s speed,
7. The samples were incubated for 30 minutes in temperature of 37° C.,
8. Centrifugated with a speed of 12 000 rpm for 10 minutes,
The obtained precipitate is subject to further preparation using the commercially available DNA isolation set, in compliance with the procedural protocol provided by the manufacturer. In effect of the procedure, DNA ready for further analyses is obtained e.g. PCR reaction for bacteria detection purposes.
The microorganism DNA amplification methodology was performed on DNA matrix isolated from human blood. Nested amplification was carried out in two separate stages marked with I and II letters. The tables below (Table 1 and 2) present the composition of reaction mixtures and thermal profiles. Stage I uses the new specific primers designed:
Amplification was carried out with ready-to-use PCR set, containing polymerase of low error rate in the amplified products. The set contains: polymerase, reaction buffer dNTPs and MgCl2 (in final concentration of 2.5 mM)
The sequencing procedure was carried out in the MiSeq (Illumina) apparatus, operating with software provided by the manufacturer. The sequencing process consisted in simultaneous reading of all sequences of formed DNA sequence coding the bacterial 16SrRNA regions, followed by initial alignment of sequences to specific taxons at different taxonomic levels.
The amplification processes were purified with the use of magnetic beads to eliminate free primers or starter dimmers.
Amplicons Labelling (Sequenced Samples)—Index PCR—Procedure:
Calculation of DNA concentration in the sample in nM based on fluorometric measurement using the spectrofluorometer was performed.
The amplicons were thinned using 10 nM of Tris buffer (pH 8.5) until concentration of 4 nM was reached. From each well, 5 μl of diluted DNA was sampled from each well to a single test-tube. All was mixed on the vortex.
Then, all test-tubes (libraries) were mixed together, followed by denaturization initially in NaOH thinned in the hybridization buffer and then in high temperature. Each batch contained at least 5% PhiX—a substance being the internal library control.
The Authors were surprised that bacterial DNA was detected also in blood of healthy patients, however their quantitative profiles were different, which was presented in
The method limitation is no opportunity to assess whether the samples contain living bacteria cells, or their remains in a form of DNA. This may, in certain cases, hinder clinical assessment of the patient condition in context of the acquired NGS results.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
P.413090 | Jul 2015 | PL | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/IB2015/056715 | 9/3/2015 | WO | 00 |