Highly sensitive quantitative PCR for the detection and differentiation of Pseudogymnoascus destructans and other Pseudogymnoascus species.

ABSTRACT: White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that has decimated bat populations across eastern North America. Identification of the etiologic agent, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (formerly Geomyces destructans), in environmental samples is essential to proposed management plans. A major challenge is the presence of closely related species, which are ubiquitous in many soils and cave sediments and often present in high abundance. We present a dual-probe real-time quantitative PCR assay capable of detecting and differentiating P. destructans from closely related fungi in environmental samples from North America. The assay, based on a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) specific to P. destructans, is capable of rapid low-level detection from various sampling media, including sediment, fecal sample

SUBMITTER: Shuey MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3957615 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature