Improved purification and PCR amplification of DNA from environmental samples.

Purification and PCR amplification procedures for DNA extracted from environmental samples (soil, compost, and river sediment) were improved by introducing three modifications: precipitation of DNA with 5% polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG) and 0.6 M NaCl; filtration with a Sepharose 4B-polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) spin column; and addition of skim milk (0.3% w/v) to the PCR reaction solution.