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. 1988 Dec;26(12):2515–2519. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.12.2515-2519.1988

Identification of a Yersinia pestis-specific DNA probe with potential for use in plague surveillance.

K A McDonough 1, T G Schwan 1, R E Thomas 1, S Falkow 1
PMCID: PMC266936  PMID: 3230131

Abstract

A 900-base-pair DNA fragment derived from a 9.5-kilobase plasmid in Yersinia pestis hybridized specifically with Y. pestis DNA. We demonstrated the feasibility of using this DNA fragment to detect plague bacilli directly in fleas, suggesting that this Y. pestis-specific DNA probe may be used for plague surveillance in the field. Additional applications for this DNA probe may include plague diagnosis and pathogenesis research.

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Selected References

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