Nucleic acid-based assay and kit for the detection of methanogens in biological samples

A nucleic acid based method is provided for the detection of methanogens in human, animal, plant and in environmental samples of soil, sediment or water that are terrestrial or subterranean in origin. The method is effected by (a) obtaining a biological sample; and (b) analyzing the sample for a nuc...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Sowlay, Mohankumar, Hinton, Stephen
Format: Patent
Sprache:eng
Online-Zugang:Volltext bestellen
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:A nucleic acid based method is provided for the detection of methanogens in human, animal, plant and in environmental samples of soil, sediment or water that are terrestrial or subterranean in origin. The method is effected by (a) obtaining a biological sample; and (b) analyzing the sample for a nucleic acid sequence/s unique to methanogens, wherein a detectable level of the nucleic acid sequence unique to methanogens is indicative of the presence of methanogens in the sample. Further, a scheme for inferring the identity of the different types of methanogens is provided, wherein, the DNA sequences of the methyl reductase genes detected in that sample are compared to methyl reductase sequences of known methanogens. With this technology, methanogens in samples containing less than {fraction (1/1000)} th of a gram of biomass can be detected.