Cost-Effective Pooling of DNA from Nasopharyngeal Swab Samples for Large-Scale Detection of Bacteria by Real-Time PCR

Abstract

We investigated the potential of pooling DNA from nasopharyngeal specimens to reduce the cost of real-time PCR (RT-PCR) for bacterial detection. Lyophilization is required to reconcentrate DNA. This strategy yields a high specificity (86%) and a high sensitivity (96%). We estimate that compared to individual testing, 37% fewer RT-PCR tests are needed.