Establishment of droplet digital PCR for the detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Background: Infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae in adults usually leads to vaginitis and acute urethritis, and infection through the birth canal in newborns can lead to acute neonatal conjunctivitis. In view of certain factors such as a high missed detection rate of N.gonorrhoeae from staining microscopy method, the time-consuming nature and limited sensitivity of bacterial culture method, complicated and inability of absolute quantification from the ordinary PCR method. Methods: This study aims to establish a ddPCR system to detect N.gonorrhoeae in a absolute quantification, high specificity, high stability and accurate way. We selected the pgi1 gene as the target gene for the detection of N. gonorrhoeae. Results: The amplification efficiency was good in the ddPCR reaction, and the whole detection process could be completed in 94 min. It has a high sensitivity of up to 5.8 pg/mu L. With a high specificity, no positive microdroplets were detected in 9 negative control pathogens in this experiment. In addition, ddPCR detection of N. gonorrhoeae has good repeatability, and the calculated CV is 4.2 %. Conclusions: DdPCR detection technology has the characteristics of absolute quantification, high stability, high specificity and high accuracy of N.gonorrhoeae. It can promote the accuracy of the detecting of N.gonorrhoeae, providing a more scientific basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.