Due to the threat of bioterrorist acts, there is a need to develop techniques that rapidly detect possible bioagents. Amplicon length heterogeneity-polymerase chain reaction (ALH-PCR) presumptively identifies eubacteria in samples by detecting differences between the lengths of the hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene. To study the efficiency, reproducibility, and reliability of the technique, sputum from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients has been chosen as the model system. There is an abundance of microorganisms in the sputum of the CF lung. Using ALH-PCR, the complex microbial diversity and vast community composition in the lungs of the CF patients were studied. Twenty-four out of twenty-six CF samples were presumptively identified to contain Pseudomonas aeurginosa, a known CF pathogen. Sputum profiles were also compared over time and ALH was able to demonstrate that the CF lung flora is a dynamic community and may be affected by antibiotics.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fiu.edu/oai:digitalcommons.fiu.edu:etd-4460 |
| Date | 28 March 2006 |
| Creators | Doud, Melissa S. |
| Publisher | FIU Digital Commons |
| Source Sets | Florida International University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
Page generated in 0.0025 seconds