The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of DNA extraction from water as well as from blood samples spiked with A. fumigatus spores, using selected commercial kits. Extraction of DNA according to manufacturer's protocols was preceded by blood cells lysis and disruption of fungal cells by enzymatic digestion or bead beating. The efficiency of DNA extraction was measured by PCR using A...

The extraction and further processing of nucleic acids (NA) from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues for microbiological diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approaches is challenging. Here, we assessed the effects of five different commercially available nucleic acid extraction kits on the results of real-time PCR. FFPE samples from organs of Burkholderia pseudomallei-infecte...

PURPOSE The extraction of nucleic acid is initially a limiting step for successful molecular-based diagnostic workup. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of three automated DNA extraction systems for clinical laboratory use. MATERIALS AND METHODS Venous blood samples from 22 healthy volunteers were analyzed using QIAamp Blood Mini Kit (Qiagen), MagNA Pure LC Nucleic Acid Isolation Ki...

Differences in the composition of the gut microbiota have been associated with a range of diseases using culture-independent methods. Reliable extraction of nucleic acid is a key step in identifying the composition of the faecal microbiota. Five widely used commercial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction kits (QIAsymphony® Virus/Bacteria Midi Kit (kit QS), ZR Fecal DNA MiniPrep™ (kit Z), QIAa...

In this paper we evaluate three different methods for extracting DNA from human hair i.e. the Chelex method, the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit method and the ISOHAIR method. Analysis of DNA prepared from dyed hairs with the ISOHAIR method suggested that the DNA extracts contained PCR inhibitors. On the other hand, few inhibition was observed when DNA from dyed hairs were extracted using the Chelex method...

BACKGROUND The detection of Brucellae in tissue specimens using PCR assays is difficult because the amount of bacteria is usually low. Therefore, optimised DNA extraction methods are critical. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of commercial kits for the extraction of Brucella DNA. METHODS Five kits were evaluated using clinical specimens: QIAamp DNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN), peqGol...

Both paraffin-embedded tissue specimens and buccal cells are excellent resources for large-scale molecular epidemiological studies. In order to identify the optimal method for DNA extraction, we compared three methods: (1) modified phenol-chloroform protocol; (2) simple boiling method; and (3) DNA Extraction Mini Kit. For paraffin-embedded tissue specimens, amplification of the beta-globin gene...

The PCR method has proved to be an invaluable tool for the specific and sensitive detection of genetically modified material (e.g., Roundup Ready Soybean and Bt-176 "Maximizer" Maize) in foodstuffs. The first step in the procedure, namely the purification of nucleic acids from the sample, is often the deciding factor in the production of meaningful results. In this study, we present two procedu...

Sample preparation and DNA extraction protocols for DNA amplification by PCR, which can be applied in human fecal samples for taeniasis diagnosis, are described. DNA extracted from fecal specimens with phenol/chloroform/isoamilic alcohol and DNAzol reagent had to be first purified to generate fragments of 170 pb and 600 pb by HDP2-PCR. This purification step was not necessary with the use of QI...