Method Description

The assay is performed on the Roche LightCycler (LC) 480 instrument, following DNA extraction on the Roche MagNA Pure. The LC 480 instrument amplifies and monitors the development of target nucleic acid (amplicon) after each cycle of polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

The DNA target for this PCR assay is a gene encoding the glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (glpQ) gene specific to Borrelia species in the relapsing fever group. This gene is not found in Borrelia species that cause Lyme disease.

The specific base pair DNA target sequence is amplified by PCR. The detection of amplicon is based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer, which utilizes 1 hybridization probe with a donor fluorophore, fluorescein, at the 3' end, and a second hybridization probe with an acceptor fluorophore, LC-Red 640, at the 5' end. When the target amplicon is present, the LC-Red 640 emits a measurable and quantifiable light signal at a specific wavelength. Presence of the specific organism nucleic acid is confirmed by performing a melting temperature analysis of the amplicon; the presence or absence of a melting peak in the appropriate temperature range is used to determine if a specimen is positive or negative.(Unpublished Mayo method)