RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Cherkaoui, Abdessalam A1 Ceroni, Dimitri A1 Emonet, Stéphane A1 Lefevre, Yan A1 Schrenzel, JacquesYR 2009 T1 Molecular diagnosis of Kingella kingae osteoarticular infections by specific real-time PCR assay JF Journal of Medical Microbiology, VO 58 IS 1 SP 65 OP 68 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.47707-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1473-5644, AB Kingella kingae is an emerging pathogen that is recognized as a causative agent of septic arthritis and osteomyelitis, primarily in infants and children. The bacterium is best detected by rapid inoculation in blood culture systems or by real-time PCR assays. Pathogenesis of the agent was linked recently to the production of a potent cytotoxin, known as RTX, which is toxic to a variety of human cell types. The locus encoding the RTX toxin is thought to be a putative virulence factor, and is, apparently, essential for inducing cytotoxic effects on respiratory epithelial, synovial and macrophage-like cells. Herein, we describe a novel real-time PCR assay that targets the RTX toxin gene and illustrate its use in two clinical cases. The assay exhibited a sensitivity of 30 c.f.u., which is 10-fold more sensitive than a previously published semi-nested broad-range 16S rRNA gene PCR, and showed no cross-reactivity with several related species and common osteoarticular pathogens., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.47707-0