A specific and ultrasensitive Cas12a/crRNA assay with recombinase polymerase amplification and lateral flow biosensor technology for the rapid detection of <i>Streptococcus pyogenes</i>

Patients may experience a range of symptoms due to <i>Streptococcus pyogenes</i> infections, including superficial skin infections, pharyngitis, and invasive diseases in subcutaneous tissues like streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. At present, the clinical diagnostic detection of <i>S. pyogenes</i> is based on serological identification, culture, and PCR. These detection methods are time-consuming and require sophisticated equipment, making these methods challenging for routine laboratories. Thus, there is a need for a detection platform that is capable of quickly and accurately identifying <i>S. pyogenes</i>. In this study, a rapid and sensitive Cas12a/crRNA assay using recombinase RPA and LFB was developed to detect <i>S. pyogenes</i>. The Cas12a/crRNA-based assay exhibited high specificity among different bacteria strains and extremely high sensitivity. This method probably plays an important role for <i>S. pyogenes</i> detection and screening.