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Updated: Oct 9, 2026

In Situ Detection of Bacteria within Paraffin-embedded Tissues Using a Digoxin-labeled DNA Probe Targeting 16S rRNA
Published on: May 21, 2015
Distribution and abundance of Gram-positive bacteria in the environment: development of a group-specific probe
B J MacGregor1, S Toze, E W Alm
1Civil Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Abstract:
We developed a 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probe (S-P-GPos-1200-a-A-13) for the Gram-positive bacteria, confirmed its specificity by database searches and hybridization studies, and investigated the effects of humic acids on membrane hybridizations with this probe. S-P-GPos-1200-a-A-13 was used to estimate the abundance of Gram-positive populations in the bovine rumen and Lake Michigan sediments. This probe should be useful for studies of the environmental distribution of Gram-positive bacteria and the detection of uncultured, phylogenetically Gram-positive bacteria with variable or negative Gram staining reactions, and could serve for Gram staining in some diagnostic settings.
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