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Detecting the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia Burgdorferi, in Ticks Using Nested PCR
Published on: February 4, 2018
Detection of tick-borne pathogens by MassTag polymerase chain reaction
Rafal Tokarz1, Vishal Kapoor, James E Samuel
1Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Abstract:
MassTag polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a platform that enables microbe detection using primers labeled through a photocleavable link with tags that vary in molecular weight. After multiplex PCR, tags are released by ultraviolet irradiation and analyzed by mass spectroscopy. The identification of a microbe in a sample is determined by its cognate tags. Here we describe establishment and implementation of a MassTag PCR panel for surveillance of microbes implicated in tick-vectored infectious diseases.
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