Using oligonucleotide suspension arrays for laboratory identification of bacteria responsible for bacteremia

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an oligonucleotide suspension array for rapid identification of 15bacterial species responsible for bacteremia, particularly prevalent in Chinese hospitals. The multiplexed array, based on theQIAGEN LiquiChip Workstation, included 15 oligonucleotide probes which were covalently bound to different bead sets. PCRamplicons of a variable region of the bacterial 23S rRNA genes were hybridized to the bead-bound probes. Thirty-eight strainsbelonging to 15 species were correctly identified on the basis of their corresponding species-specific hybridization profiles. Theresults show that the suspension array, in a single assay, can differentiate isolates over a wide range of strains and species, andsuggest the potential utility of suspension array system to clinical laboratory diagnosis.