MULTIPLEX REAL TIME PCR and MELT CURVE ASSAY DEVELOPMENT FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE and STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

<p><em>Staphylococcus aureus </em>and <em>Streptococcus pneumoniae</em> are bacteria that commonly colonize healthy individuals without causing disease. Methicillin-resistant <em>S. aureus</em> (MRSA), a more virulent type of <em>S. aureus,</em> is carried by a small percentage of people. These two bacteria have an adversarial relationship both in vitro and in vivo, with <em>S. pneumoniae</em> being able to limit the growth of <em>S. aureus</em>. It has been hypothesized that the relationship between these bacteria may be altered in individuals immunized with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, raising concerns that vaccinated individuals may be more likely to carry MRSA. Assessing the carriage rate of these bacteria in both vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals may provide important information to support or refute this hypothesis. To facilitate this study, we developed a multiplex Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay to simultaneously detect <em>S. aureus</em> and <em>S. pneumoniae</em> in the same sample.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Clinical Sciences

Year dc:date.available

2016

Author dc:creator

• Pierpont, Melissa J.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Paul Mann

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/116

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.nmu.edu:theses-1136