Rapid detection of four non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria directly from cystic fibrosis patient's respiratory samples on the BD MAX™ system.

The aim of this study was to develop a multiplex PCR test to detect (AX), (BC), (PSA) and (SM) directly from CF patient's respiratory samples using the open mode of the BD MAX™ System. A total of 402 CF respiratory samples were evaluated by culture and PCR. Specific sets of primers and probes for each target were designed in-house. Out of 402 samples tested, 196 were identified as negative and 206 as positive by culture for AX, PSA, BC and SM. Among culture positive samples, PCR detected 21/27 AX, 4/5 BC, 138/140 PSA and 29/34 SM. In addition, PCR assay identified 35 samples as positive that were initially negative by culture for those 4 targets. The CF BDM test proved to be an excellent tool to detect AX, BC, PSA and SM by real-time PCR on an automated platform.