OPTIMIZATION OF POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION FOR THE DETECTION OF BORRELIA-BURGDORFERI IN BIOLOGIC SPECIMENS

This study describes the use of a newly constructed set of primers tha t amplifies an 85-base pair (bp) segment of Borrelia burgdorferi chrom osomal DNA. This 85-bp product is not produced when other Borrelia spe cies, Leptospira, or other bacteria are subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We also describe a rapid method of optimizing the ampl ification of B. burgdorferi DNA from canine ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-treated blood and urine samples that circumvents some of the pro blems encountered due to low number of spirochetes in clinical specime ns and that removes inhibiting substances, which improves the PCR diag nosis of canine Lyme borreliosis.