Update and Validation of the 16S rDNA qPCR Assay for the Detection of Three ‘Candidatus Liberibacter Species’ Following Current MIQE Guidelines and Workflow

An updated real-time multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was designed and validated for the simultaneous detection of three ‘Candidatus Liberibacter species’ (CLsp), ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), ‘africanus’ (CLaf), and ‘americanus’ (CLam), associated with the huanglongbing disease of citrus. The multiplex assay was designed based on the qPCR assay published in 2006 by Li et al., considering all available CLsp 16S rRNA gene sequences in GenBank and the MIQE guidelines and workflow for qPCR optimization, which became available after 2006. When using the updated multiplex CLsp qPCR assay compared with singleplex qPCR, no significant increase in quantitative cycle (Cq) values was detected. The specificity and sensitivity of the updated qPCR assay was optimal, and measuring the intra- and interassay variations confirmed the reproducibility and repeatability of the assay. The assay was also successfully used with a large number of diverse samples at independent laboratories in four countries, thus demonstrating its transferability, applicability, practicability, and robustness as different qPCR reaction conditions or instruments had a minor effect on Cq values. This updated multiplex CLsp qPCR assay can be used in a variety of citrus surveys, germplasm, or nursery stock programs that require different pathogen detection tools for their successful operation. [Figure: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.