Folia histochemica et cytobiologicaJan 13, 2026

Using a DNA amplification and detection method to identify Salmonella Typhi bacteria – preliminary report

CRISPR Gene Editing Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jun 27, 2026

Abstract

Essence

A CRISPR/Cas12a assay coupled to recombinase polymerase amplification showed rapid preliminary detection of Salmonella Typhi DNA.

Evidence

This preliminary diagnostic platform experiment optimized an equipment-independent assay with a 103 copies/uL detection limit, 60-minute runtime, and testing on four positive clinical isolates.

Caveat

Clinical validation was limited to four cultured positive isolates, with no reported negative samples or real-world diagnostic performance estimates.

Simplified

INTRODUCTION: . Typhoid fever, a disease resulting from an infection with Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) remains widespread in economically disadvantaged regions, where it continues to be a critical public health concern. As the symptoms and signs are non-specific, they are difficult to diagnose directly based on the clinical picture. Therefore, laboratory examinations are essential for diagnosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: . This research introduces a fast and equipment-independent approach for detecting S. Typhi by employing CRISPR/Cas12a-based technology. The optimized CRISPR/Cas12a system achieved a detection limit of 103 copies/μL of S. Typhi DNA per reaction, with the entire assay completed within 60 min.

RESULTS: . Four clinical isolates cultured from patients with typhoid fever were collected and evaluated using our CRISPR/Cas12a-based detection system. The assay results demonstrated that all four samples were accurately identified as positive.

CONCLUSIONS: . We showed that the developed CRISPR/Cas12a-based detection method provides a promising alternative for the on-site and simple detection of S. Typhi.