DETECTION OF STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE THROUGH MAGNETO-AMPEROMETRIC GENOSENSORS EMPLOYING SPECIFIC PRIMERS AND PROBES FOR THE LYTA GENE

摘要

The present invention relates to a method for the detection and/or quantification of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a Gram-positive bacteria being an important human pathogen, in an isolated biological sample, through magneto-amperometric biosensors, comprising detecting fragments of the lytA gene of said microorganism, amplified through PCR, preferably asymmetric PCR or direct asymmetric PCR, by means of the hybridisation thereof to a specific probe fully complementary to a region of said amplified fragment. Furthermore, the present invention additionally refers to the use of primers SEQ ID NO: 3 and 4 together with probes SEQ ID NO: 1 and/or SEQ ID NO: 2 for the purpose of carrying out said detection. The biosensor developed to detect S . pneumoniae renders it applicable to different types of clinical samples proceeding from patients infected with this bacteria or other related bacteria. Preferably the clinical sample is an isolated biological fluid such as blood, cephalorachidian liquid, saliva or urine.