ARM-D real-time PCR kit for detection of β-lactamase gene families IMP-1 NDM OXA-48 CTX-M-14 CTX-M-15 CMY-2 DHA VIM KPC 100 reactions

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics poses a global threat to public health and in recent years has shown an increase in mortality rates and the potential to spread through the population. Of these resistance mechanisms, β-lactamases are enzymes that cleave β-lactam rings rendering the β-lactam family of antibiotics ineffective for treatment of clinically-important Gram-negative bacterial infections. Specifically, β-lactamases confer resistance to penicillins, cephamycins, and in some cases, carbapenems. β-lactam-resistant Gram-negative organisms producing multiple or plasmid-mediated β-lactamases are difficult to identify phenotypically and necessitate more specific detection methods to identify clinically important β-lactamases. Genetic identification of these resistance mechanisms is critical for active surveillance and infection control. Because these antibiotics are often selected for the management and prevention of infectious disease, the presence and characteristics of specific β-lactamases play a critical role in selecting the appropriate antibiotic therapy.
The Streck ARM-D Kit, β-Lactamase + Master Mix is a qualitative molecular test that allows for identification of nine β-lactamase gene families: IMP-1, NDM, OXA-48, CTX-M-14, CTX-M-15, CMY-2, DHA, VIM, and KPC. Additionally, an endogenous internal control (IC) that targets a conserved region common in Gram-negative bacteria is included to reduce false negatives due to PCR inhibition, DNA degradation, or poor extraction. Kit includes a premixed 2X master mix requiring a single pipetting step (Supermix: PhilisaFAST® DNA Polymerase, dNTPs, MgCl2 and reaction buffer).
This test utilises sequence specific primer pairs for the PCR amplification of each target group as well as fluorescently-labelled, target-specific DNA probes for detection by real-time PCR. The assay involves extraction of DNA from bacterial cells and subsequent amplification and detection using real-time PCR. The kit can be used for active surveillance of antimicrobial resistance patterns and be beneficial for infection control. The ARM-D Kit, β-Lactamase, generates data in under one hour compared to 24-48 hours for traditional phenotypic methods.
Streck ARM-D Kit, β-Lactamase + Master Mix has been validated using PhilisaFAST® DNA Polymerase Kit with the Applied Biosystems (ABI) QuantStudio 7 (QS7) Flex Real-Time System, ABI 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR System, Bio-Rad CFX96 Touch™ Real-Time PCR Detection System, QIAGEN Rotor-Gene® Q, and Streck Zulu RT™ PCR System.