Rapid simultaneous detection of , and in multidrug-resistant using single-tube multiplex PCR and high resolution melting assay.

The aim of this study was to develop a multiplex PCR system for the rapid and simultaneous detection of , and genes in multidrug-resistant (MDRAB) using high resolution melting (HRM) assay. Four pairs of primers were designed, and PCR amplification products were sequenced and compared with NCBI GeneBank sequences to ensure primer specificity. Multiplex PCR was performed using a dedicated HRM reagent, and melting curves and temperatures were able to distinguish the four genes. This method was subsequently used to detect these genes in 79 MDRAB isolates from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University in southern China. Using the HRM assay, 73 out of 79 isolates were found to carry both and , one isolate carried , two isolates carried both and , and three isolates carried , and . No isolates carried all four genes. Compared with traditional resistance gene detection methods-PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis-based resistance gene detection methods-the multiplex PCR and HRM assay method was simple, rapid, highly efficient, and cost-effective. Our results showed that and were the main resistance genotypes in MDRAB.