Validation of droplet digital PCR for the detection and absolute quantification of Borrelia DNA in Ixodes scapularis ticks

• Published in: Parasitology Vol. 144; no. 4; pp. 359 - 367
• Main Authors: KING, JENNY L., SMITH, ASHLEY D., MITCHELL, ELIZABETH A., ALLEN, MICHAEL S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.04.2017
• Subjects: adults; Animals; Borrelia - genetics; Borrelia burgdorferi; Borrelia miyamotoi; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; DNA, Bacterial - isolation & purification; droplets; Ectoparasites; Female; genome; Ixodes - microbiology; Ixodes scapularis; Ixodidae; Massachusetts; Nymph - microbiology; nymphs; pathogens; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; Reproducibility of Results; screening; Temperature; ticks; Massachusetts; Borrelia burgdorferi; droplet digital PCR; pathogen detection; Borrelia miyamotoi

We evaluated the QX200 Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR™, Bio-Rad) system and protocols for the detection of the tick-borne pathogens Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes scapularis nymphs and adults collected from North Truro, Massachusetts. Preliminary screening by nested PCR determined...