Detection of cariogenic Streptococcus mutans by quantitative polymerase chain reaction / 中华口腔医学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a kind of molecular biology clinical detective method to cariogenic S. mutans.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using the coamplification of target and reference genes. One pair of specific primers were designed according to a portion of the dextranase (dexA) gene of S. mutans. The reference gene was plasmid pET23b DNA. The saliva samples of 196 children were quantitative detected. The PCR method was compared with the routine culture method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rate of S. mutans counts >/= 10(8) CFU/L (colony-forming unit per millilitre) saliva by quantitative PCR was 91.3%. The results of coincidence rate between the new method and the routine way was 94.9%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The new quantitative detective method is fast and provides with high scoincidence rate and high specificity, so have extensive clinical practice foreground.</p>