End-point RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-based detection of Enterocytozoon bieneusi nucleic acid: rapid, sensitive and specific.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a common species of microsporidia that infects humans and animals. Current methods for detecting E. bieneusi infections have trade-offs in sensitivity, specificity, simplicity, cost and speed and are thus unacceptable for clinical application. We tested the effectiveness of a previously reported CRISPR/Cas12a-based method (ReCTC) when used for the nucleic acid detection of E. bieneusi. The limit of detection (LOD) and the specificity of the expanded ReCTC were evaluated using prepared target DNA, and the accuracy of the ReCTC-based detection of E. bieneusi in clinical samples was validated. The ReCTC method was successfully used for the nucleic acid detection of E. bieneusi. The sensitivity test indicated an LOD of 3.7 copies/µl for the ReCTC-based fluorescence and lateral flow strip methods. In specificity test involving other common enteric pathogens, a fluorescent signal and/or test line appeared only when the sample was positive for E. bieneusi. These results demonstrated that the ReCTC method can successfully detect E. bieneusi in clinical samples. The ReCTC method was successfully used to detect E. bieneusi nucleic acid with high sensitivity and specificity. It had excellent performance in clinical DNA samples and was superior to nested polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, the ReCTC method demonstrated its capability for use in on-site detection.