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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2005, p. 7594-7597, Vol. 71, No. 11
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.11.7594-7597.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

SHORT REPORT

Discrimination between Francisella tularensis and Francisella-Like Endosymbionts when Screening Ticks by PCR

Kiersten J. Kugeler,1 Nikos Gurfield,2 Jean G. Creek,2 Kerry S. Mahoney,2 Jessica L. Versage,1,{dagger} and Jeannine M. Petersen1*

Bacterial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado,1 San Diego County Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, San Diego, California2

Received 8 March 2005/ Accepted 13 July 2005

The presence of Francisella-like endosymbionts in tick species known to transmit tularemia poses a potential diagnostic problem for laboratories that screen tick samples by PCR for Francisella tularensis. Tick samples initially considered positive for F. tularensis based on standard 16S rRNA gene PCR were found to be positive only for Francisella-like endosymbionts using a multitarget F. tularensis TaqMan assay (ISFtu2, tul4, and iglC) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Specificity of PCR-based diagnostics for F. tularensis should be carefully evaluated with appropriate specimen types prior to diagnostic use.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Foothills Campus, P.O. Box 2087, Ft. Collins, CO 80522. Phone: (970) 266-3524. Fax: (970) 225-4257. E-mail: nzp0{at}cdc.gov.

{dagger} Present address: College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2005, p. 7594-7597, Vol. 71, No. 11
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.11.7594-7597.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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