The impact of primer sets on detection of the gene encoding biofilm-associated protein (Bap) in Acinetobacter baumannii: in silico and in vitro analysis

The Acinetobacter baumannii virulence protein Bap is encoded by a large gene and contains both variable sequence and repetitive modules. To date, four primer sets targeting different regions of bap have been designed, but no study has evaluated all these primers simultaneously for detection of bap. Here, we assessed the effect of primer sets Bap I-IV, on detection of bap both in silico and in vitro. Using the primer set Bap II, all 143 tested strains yielded an amplicon corresponding to the bap gene. This primer set showed the highest sensitivity (100, 95% CI: 97.9-100%) compared to the other primer sets. This study demonstrates that primer set Bap II performs with optimal efficiency for detection of the bap gene among different strains.