Detection of Aspergillus fumigatus by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in air samples impacted on low-melt agar

BackgroundThe standard procedure for routine environmental sampling for the prevention of invasive aspergillosis outbreaks is culturing of Aspergillus fumigatus after impaction of air. Time to results is usually 7 days. A preliminary study was carried out to compare the time to results and sensitivity of culturing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) in the detection of airborne A fumigatus.MethodsFungal DNA was extracted from 43 samples of impacted low-melt agar by a 3-step extraction method and amplified by QPCR. Identification was made using a specific A fumigatus probe.ResultsWith QPCR, 19 of the 43 samples were positive for A fumigatus; with culturing, 7 of these 19 samples were positive, and 12 were negative. The cycle threshold (Ct) values for the 12 culture-negative samples were between 39 and 43 cycles, and the Ct values for 6 of the 7 culture-positive samples were <38 cycles, suggesting that the amount of DNA detected by QPCR was higher in the presence of viable conidia.ConclusionQPCR detection of airborne A fumigatus in impacted low-melt agar significantly reduces the period of time between sample collection and results (48 hours), suggesting that this new approach can be beneficial for routine environmental sampling.