Rapid identification of nontypeable and serotype b Haemophilus influenzae from nasopharyngeal secretions by the multiplex PCR

Objective: Heamophilus influenzae (H. influenzae) is an important pathogen responsible for both invasive and non-invasive infectious diseases. While encapsulated type b strain recognized as a major cause of severe invasive diseases, nontypeable strains are the major causes of non-invasive infectious diseases. Detection of this pathogen from nasopharyngeal secretions (NIPS) is important. Methods: We developed a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for rapid identification of nontypeable and serotype b H. iniluenzae from nasopharyngeal secretions. Results: A total 25 nasopharyngeal secretions were evaluated in this study. The multiplex PCR provided rapid and unequivocal results for determining either nontypeable or encapsulated typeable especially type b strains including a determination of beta-lactamase productions. Conclusion: The multiplex PCR based serotyping provided more reliable results than slide agglutination test (SAT) and is a valuable and expeditious method for identification of H. influenzae with determining capsular serotypes. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.