The Effects of culture independent diagnostic testing on the diagnosis and reporting of enteric bacterial pathogens in Queensland, 2010 to 2014

Authors

  • Fiona J May National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University; Australian Government Department of Health; Communicable Diseases Branch, Prevention Division, Department of Health, Queensland Government
  • Russell J Stafford Communicable Diseases Branch, Prevention Division, Department of Health, Queensland Government
  • Heidi Carroll Communicable Diseases Branch, Prevention Division, Department of Health, Queensland Government
  • Jennifer MB Robson Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, 24 Hurworth Street, Bowen Hills, Brisbane Qld 4006
  • Renu Vohra QML Pathology, 11 Riverview Place, Metroplex on Gateway, Murarrie, Qld 4172
  • Graeme R Nimmo Pathology Queensland Central Laboratory, Herston; Griffith University, School of Medicine
  • John Bates Public Health Microbiology, Forensic and Scientific Services
  • Martyn D Kirk National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University
  • Emily J Fearnley National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University
  • Benjamin G Polkinghorne OzFoodNet, Australian Government Department of Health

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2017.41.32

Keywords:

diagnostic laboratory testing, enteric pathogens, PCR

Abstract

Changes in diagnostic laboratory testing procedures can impact on the number of cases notified and the public health surveillance of enteric pathogens. Culture independent diagnostic testing using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was introduced for the rapid detection of bacterial enteric pathogens in pathology laboratories in Queensland, Australia, from late 2013 onwards. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study using laboratory data to assess the impact of the introduction of PCR testing on four common enteric pathogens, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella and Yersinia, in Queensland between 2010 and 2014.

The number of stool specimens tested and the proportion positive for each of the four pathogens increased in 2014 after the introduction of culture independent diagnostic testing. Among the specimens tested by both PCR and culture, 12% of Salmonella positive stools, 36% of Campylobacter positive stools, 74% of Shigella / enteroinvasive Escherichia coli positive stools and 65% of Yersinia positive stools were PCR positive only. Including those where culture was not performed, 19% of Salmonella positive stools, 44% of Campylobacter positive stools, 83% of Shigella positive stools and 79% of Yersinia positive stools had no cultured isolate available for further characterisation. The detection and tracking of foodborne and non-foodborne gastrointestinal outbreaks will become more difficult as culture independent diagnostic testing becomes more widespread. Until new techniques for characterisation of pathogens directly from clinical specimens have been developed, we recommend laboratories continue to culture specimens concurrently or reflexively with culture independent diagnostic tests.

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References

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Published

01/09/17

How to Cite

May, Fiona J, Russell J Stafford, Heidi Carroll, Jennifer MB Robson, Renu Vohra, Graeme R Nimmo, John Bates, Martyn D Kirk, Emily J Fearnley, and Benjamin G Polkinghorne. 2017. “The Effects of Culture Independent Diagnostic Testing on the Diagnosis and Reporting of Enteric Bacterial Pathogens in Queensland, 2010 to 2014”. Communicable Diseases Intelligence 41 (September):223-30. https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2017.41.32.

Issue

Vol. 41 (2017)

Section

Original article

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