Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5807026 | Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases | 2016 | 4 Pages |
Abstract
The Ehrlichia muris-like agent (EMLA) is an emerging, tick-transmitted human pathogen that occurs in the upper Midwestern United States. Here, we describe the development and validation of a p13-based quantitative real-time PCR TaqMan assay to detect EMLA in blood or tissues of ticks, humans, and rodents. The primer and probe specificities of the assay were ascertained using a large panel of various Ehrlichia species and other members of Rickettsiales. In addition to control DNA, both non-infected and EMLA-infected human blood, Mus musculus blood, and M. musculus tissue extracts were evaluated, as were non-infected and EMLA-infected Ixodes scapularis and uninfected Dermacentor variabilis DNA lysates. The specificity of the probe was determined via real-time PCR. An EMLA p13 control plasmid was constructed, and serial dilutions were used to determine the analytical sensitivity, which was found to be 1 copy per 4 μl of template DNA. The sensitivity and specificity of this assay provides a powerful tool for ecological studies involving arthropod vectors and their mammalian hosts.
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Authors
Michelle E.J. Allerdice, Bobbi S. Pritt, Lynne M. Sloan, Christopher D. Paddock, Sandor E. Karpathy,