Establishment of clinical method for diagnosing bacterial vaginosis by using Multiplex PCR

Abstract

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is one of the most common vaginal infection among women of reproductive age, and it can lead to serious complications. Specially, it affects the embryo transfer efficiency of patients who apply assisted reproductive technology. Studies have shown that BV is not caused by a specific bacterium but a consequence of vaginal bacteria imbalance. However, current techniques, such as culture and Gram stainning, have been shown to be ineffective for prolonged periods of time and not sufficiently sensitive to simultaneously identify the agents. This study was conducted to develop Multiplex PCR (M-PCR) for simultaneous and accurate detection of agents, to reduce costs and time for testing. The process identified 10 species of pathogenic bacteria based on 16s-rRNA gene fragments and split analysis into 3 assays with high sensitivity and specificity. Initial results showed the successful establishment of the M-PCR method, demonstrating the potential of this approach in the diagnosis of vaginal infections in the near future.