Use of accuracy profile procedure to validate a real-time PCR method to quantify bacteria in feces

J AOAC Int. 2014 Mar-Apr;97(2):573-9. doi: 10.5740/jaoacint.13-310.

Abstract

This study describes a novel validation procedure of real-time PCR based on accuracy profile to estimate bacterial concentrations in fecal samples. To assess the performance of the method, measurements of axenic fecal samples spiked with a measured quantity of known bacterial species (Bacteroides fragilis, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Enterococcus faecium, and Escherichia coli) were performed under repeatability and intermediate precision conditions. Data collected were used to compute a tolerance interval that was compared to a defined acceptance interval. It is concluded that the method is valid and relevant for the studied validation range of 8.20-10.24 and 7.43-9.47 log10 CFU/g of feces to ensure proper measurement of B. fragilis and E. coli, respectively. The LOQ is 8.20 and 7.43 log10 CFU/g of feces. In contrast, the method is not valid for the quantification of E. faecium and B. adolescentis, but by applying a correction factor of +0.63 log10 CFU/g, it can be considered valid for E. faecium. This correction is included in the final results. In conclusion, the accuracy profile is a statistical tool that is easy to use and totally adapted to validate real-time PCR.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / isolation & purification*
  • Cephalosporins / pharmacology
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • DNA, Bacterial / isolation & purification*
  • Feces / microbiology*
  • Rats
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Species Specificity

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Cephalosporins
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • cefquinome