Comparison of rectal swabs and fecal samples for the detection of infections with a new in-house PCR assay.

Unlabelled: The detection of infections (CDI) relies on testing the stool of patients by toxin antigen detection or PCR methods. Although PCR and antigenic methods have significantly reduced the time to results, delays in stool collection can significantly add to the turnaround time. The use of rectal swabs to detect could considerably reduce the time to diagnosis of CDI.

Rapid filtration separation-based sample preparation method for Bacillus spores in powdery and environmental matrices.

Authorities frequently need to analyze suspicious powders and other samples for biothreat agents in order to assess environmental safety. Numerous nucleic acid detection technologies have been developed to detect and identify biowarfare agents in a timely fashion. The extraction of microbial nucleic acids from a wide variety of powdery and environmental samples to obtain a quality level adequate for these technologies still remains a technical challenge.

Validation of a centrifugal microfluidic sample lysis and homogenization platform for nucleic acid extraction with clinical samples.

The applications of microfluidic technologies in medical diagnostics continue to increase, particularly in the field of nucleic acid diagnostics. While much attention has been focused on the development of nucleic acid amplification and detection platforms, sample preparation is often taken for granted or ignored all together. Specifically, little or no consideration is paid to the development of microfluidic systems that efficiently extract nucleic acids from biological samples.

Internal control for nucleic acid testing based on the use of purified Bacillus atrophaeus subsp. globigii spores.

Commonly used internal controls (ICs) to monitor the efficiency of nucleic acid testing (NAT) assays do not allow verification of nucleic acid extraction efficiency. Since microbial cells are often difficult to lyse, it is important to ensure that nucleic acids are efficiently extracted from any target organism. For this purpose, we developed a cellular IC based on the use of nonpathogenic Bacillus spores.

Human bocavirus infections in hospitalized children and adults.

Studies have reported human bocavirus (HBoV) in children with respiratory tract infections (RTIs), but only occasionally in adults. We searched for HBoV DNA in nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) from adults with exacerbations of chronic bronchitis or pneumonia, from children hospitalized for acute RTIs, and from asymptomatic children during the winter of 2002-2003 in Canada. HBoV was detected in NPAs of 1 (0.