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PCR Detection of Microbial Pathogens PCR Detection of Microbial ...

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104 Ewalt and Bricker<br />

Fig. 2. Typical patterns amplified from bacterial bovine isolates as detected by agarose<br />

gel electrophoresis. Lane 1, 100-bp ladder; lane 2, B. abortus RB51; lane 3,<br />

B. abortus field strain; lane 4, B. abortus field strain; lane 5, B. abortus field strain;<br />

lane 6, B. abortus field strain; lane 7, B. abortus field strain; lane 8, B. abortus RB51;<br />

lane 9, B. abortus field strain; lane 10, B. abortus field strain; lane 11, B. abortus<br />

strain S19; lane 12, Brucella species (not B. abortus); lane 13, Brucella species (not<br />

abortus); and lane 14, non-Brucella bacteria. A 2% agarose gel was loaded with 8-µL<br />

amplified product and 1-µL loading dye per well, electrophoresed for 2.5 h at 70 V,<br />

stained with ethidium bromide, and visualized with UV light.<br />

If only the water control is contaminated, then it means the problem probably<br />

occurred during the current assay, and the rest <strong>of</strong> the unused batch is probably<br />

usable. Repeat the assay with fresh water and extra care to prevent contamination.<br />

If the contamination <strong>of</strong> either control amplifies only the large 16S gene<br />

product, then any exposure to bacteria during the process could have caused the<br />

contamination. This may be difficult to avoid since even commercial enzymes<br />

and buffers may contain trace levels <strong>of</strong> nonspecific bacterial DNA, and absolute<br />

sterility in the larger laboratory environment is difficult to maintain.<br />

The appearance <strong>of</strong> weak bands on a gel can complicate the analysis. Weak<br />

bands can result from cross-well contamination, improper amplification parameters<br />

or sample contamination. Only a few bacteria contaminating an isolate can<br />

result in visible amplified product. Multiplex <strong>PCR</strong> is more sensitive to variations<br />

in the amplification parameters than is traditional <strong>PCR</strong>. The annealing temperature<br />

is a good example. The addition <strong>of</strong> more primers increases the range <strong>of</strong><br />

individual optimal melting temperatures (T ms) and also the potential for<br />

mispriming events. The optimal temperature for each primer is a compromise<br />

between a lower temperature for stable annealing to the correct locus (but also

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