IDENTIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS CAUSING ACUTE RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS (ARI)

摘要

The present invention relates to a method for the detection of acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) comprising the simultaneous amplification of several target nucleotide sequences present in a biological sample by means of a primer mixture comprising at least one primer set from each one of the following gene regions: the F1 subunit of the fusion glycoprotein gene for RSV, the hemagglutininneuraminidase gene for PIV-1, the 5′ noncoding region of the PIV-3 fusion protein gene, 16 S rRNA sequence for M. pneumoniae, 16 S rRNA sequence for C. pneumoniae, the 5′ noncoding region for enterovirus, the non-structural protein gene from influenza A, the non-structural protein gene from influenza B, and the hexon gene for adenoviruses. This multiplex RT-PCR method is particularly preferred because it allows to determine the presence of the following microorganisms which infect the respiratory tract of mainly children in one amplification step: RSV, parainfluenza virus, M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae, enterovirus, influenza A and B and adenoviruses. The present invention also relates to a kit for performing the above-mentioned detection method as well as to the individual probes and primers used therein.