Detection of tick-borne pathogens by MassTag polymerase chain reaction

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2009 Apr;9(2):147-52. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2008.0088.

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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Anaplasma / isolation & purification
  • Animals
  • Arachnid Vectors / microbiology*
  • Borrelia / isolation & purification
  • DNA Primers
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary*
  • Ticks / microbiology*
  • United States

Substances

  • DNA Primers