Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi DNA in museum specimens of Ixodes dammini ticks

Article Abstract:

Lyme disease, an inflammatory condition transmitted by the Ixodes dammini tick, was not recognized until the mid-1970s; it now affects more than 6,000 people annually. The actual infectious agent is Borrelia burgdorferi. To determine the extent to which ticks were infected with B. burgdorferi before the recognition of Lyme disease, the DNA of museum specimens of I. dammini archived between 1945 and 1951 was examined for signs of the infectious agent. The ticks had been collected from Naushon Island and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, and from Long Island, New York. Ticks of other types were examined as controls. The results showed that B. burgdorferi DNA was detected in 13 specimens of I. dammini from Long Island, but from none of the archived specimens of other tick species or those from other regions. Since archived samples from other regions are not available, it cannot be said that Long Island represented a disease focus. The results indicate that Lyme disease may have been present longer ago than formerly thought; further work with archived human tissue may yield more insights into this issue. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Demographic aspects, Diseases, Disease transmission, Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, Ticks

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Microfluidic Diffusion-Based Separation and Detection

Article Abstract:

Microfluidic devices are microchips that measure chemical properties of liquids, These micro-total analysis systems have different dynamics in terms of diffusion and separation because of the small amount of liquids they analyze. They are particularly useful in the analysis of blood and environmental contamination samples. Specifics on how the devices work are presented.

Innovations, Measurement, Chemistry, Analytic, Analytical chemistry, Flow (Dynamics), Fluid dynamic measurements, Chemical apparatus, Chemical equipment

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PCR Detection of Bacteria in Seven Minutes

Article Abstract:

Real-time polymerase chain reaction can be used to rapidly detect and characterize microbial pathogens. A fluorogenic device called TaqMan and a spectrofluorometric thermal cycler can reduce the time of performing DNA analysis to as little as 7 minutes. In the future, time may be even further reduced by developing more efficient silicon chambers.

Research, Equipment and supplies, Communicable diseases, Polymerase chain reaction

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