Rapid Detection of Proteus mirabilis with PCR

Objective To develop a PCR assay for the rapid and specific detection of Proteus mirabilis. Methods According to the sequences of ureR gene of Proteus mirabilis,2 primers were designed and used for PCR. The length of amplicon was 225 bp. To evaluate the specificity of PCR assay,two strains of Proteus mirabilis and 14 strains of non-Proteus mirabilis were tested by PCR,then 60 specimens of foodborne disease were tested by PCR and Plate-culture method simultaneously. One strain of Proteus mirabilis was 10-fold serially diluted and was amplified by PCR to verify detection limit. Results With 2 strains of Proteus mirabilis,the results of PCR assay were observed and the PCR products were also confirmed by DNA sequence analysis. Amplification was not observed when 14 strains of non-Proteus mirabilis were tested. The results of the PCR and Plate-culture method were the same,so the specificity of PCR was confirmed. In addition,PCR detected Proteus mirabilis within 4 h and thus PCR is superior to Plate-culture method in terms of rapidity,and the detection limit of the PCR assay was 30 cfu/ml of Proteus mirabilis. Conclusions These results indicate that PCR assay is a rapid,specific and sensitive detection method for Proteus mirabilis,and it is suitable for daily monitoring and rapid diagnosis of Proteus mirabilis.