Abstract
Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) may improve the detection of fungal pathogens. Extraction of DNA from fungal pathogens is fundamental to optimization of qPCR; however, the loss of fungal DNA during the extraction process is a major limitation to molecular diagnostic tools for pathogenic fungi. We therefore studied representative automated and manual extraction methods for Aspergillus fumigatus and Rhizopus oryzae. Both were analyzed by qPCR for their ability to extract DNA from propagules and germinated hyphal elements (GHE). The limit of detection of A. fumigatus and R. oryzae GHE in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid with either extraction method was 1 GHE/ml. Both methods efficiently extracted DNA from A. fumigatus, with a limit of detection of 1 x 10(2) conidia. Extraction of R. oryzae by the manual method resulted in a limit of detection of 1 x 10(3) sporangiospores. However, extraction with the automated method resulted in a limit of detection of 1 x 10(1) sporangiospores. The amount of time to process 24 samples by the automated method was 2.5 h prior to transferring for automation, 1.3 h of automation, and 10 min postautomation, resulting in a total time of 4 h. The total time required for the manual method was 5.25 h. The automated and manual methods were similar in sensitivity for DNA extraction from A. fumigatus conidia and GHE. For R. oryzae, the automated method was more sensitive for DNA extraction of sporangiospores, while the manual method was more sensitive for GHE in BAL fluid.