Direct PCR on fruitflies and blood flukes without prior DNA isolation

DNA is the essential substrate for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Standard protocols include a DNA purification step, but this is laborious if a large number of DNA preparations have to be performed, although a variety of simple methods exist for the isolation of crude DNA for PCR. For microorganisms, PCR protocols exist that allow the amplification of sequences directly from the organism without DNA purification. The results introduced in this paper demonstrate that a direct PCR approach also works with fruitflies and blood flukes as examples for intact multicellular organisms.