Potential limitations of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic region for molecular detection of Bartonella species

Abstract

PCR targeting the 16S-23S rRNA gene intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) region has been proposed as a rapid and reliable method for the detection of Bartonella species DNA in clinical samples. Because of variation in ITS sequences among Bartonella species, a single PCR amplification can be used to detect different species within this genus. Therefore, by targeting the ITS region, multiple PCRs or additional sample-processing steps beyond the primary amplification can be avoided when attempting to achieve molecular diagnostic detection of Bartonella species. Although PCR amplification targeting this region is considered highly sensitive, amplification specificity obviously depends on primer design. We report evidence of nonspecific PCR amplification of Mesorhizobium species with previously published primers that were designed to amplify the Bartonella consensus ITS region. Use of these or other, less species-specific, primers could lead to a false-positive diagnostic test result when evaluating clinical samples. We also report the presence of Mesorhizobium species DNA as a contaminant in molecular-grade water, a series of homologous sequences in the ITS region that are common to Bartonella and Mesorhizobium species, the amplification of Mesorhizobium DNA with unpublished primers designed in our laboratory targeting the ITS region, and the subsequent design of unambiguous ITS primers that avoid nonspecific amplification of Mesorhizobium species. Our results define some potential limitations associated with the molecular detection of Bartonella species in patient samples and indicate that primer specificity is of critical importance if the ITS region is used as a diagnostic target for detection of Bartonella species.

FIG. 1.

Simple sequence alignment of the ITS regions of several Bartonella species (homology A) and Bartonella and Mesorhizobium species (homology B). High-homology regions are in gray. Arrows (locations of primers used in this work): I, H56s; II, H493as; III, J1; IV, J2; V, 321s; VI, 983as.

FIG. 2.

Amplification of Bartonella ITS regions with primers H56s and H493as. Lanes: 1, 1-kbp DNA ladder; 2, B. clarridgeiae; 3, B. elizabethae; 4, B. quintana Fuller; 5, B. henselae Houston-1; 6, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii; 7, B. bovis; 8, E. coli; 9 and 10, PCR negative controls with molecular-grade water (two different manufacturers); 11, PCR negative control with non-molecular-grade water (sterile water for injection, drug diluent use); 12, 1-kbp DNA ladder. Arrow, 400-bp marker.

FIG. 3.

Amplification of Bartonella ITS regions with primers J301 and J454 (24). Lanes: 1, 1-kbp DNA ladder; 2, B. clarridgeiae; 3, B. elizabethae; 4, B. henselae Houston-1; 5, B. quintana Fuller; 6, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii; 7, B. bovis; 8, E. coli; 9 and 10, PCR negative controls with molecular-grade water (two different manufacturers); 11, PCR negative control with non-molecular-grade water (sterile water for injection, drug diluent use); 12, 1-kbp DNA ladder. Arrows, 200-bp marker.

FIG. 4.

Amplification of Bartonella ITS region with primers 321s and 983as (see text). Lanes: 1, 1-kbp DNA ladder; 2, B. clarridgeiae; 3, B. elizabethae; 4, B. henselae Houston-1; 5, B. quintana Fuller; 6 and 7, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii; 8, B. bovis; 9, PCR negative control with non-molecular-grade water (sterile water for injection, drug diluent use); 10, 1-kbp DNA ladder. Arrow, 600-bp marker.