Identification of nucleotide sequences for the specific and rapid detection of Yersinia pestis

Suppression subtractive hybridization, a cost-effective approach for target ing unique DNA, was used to identify a 41.7-kb Yersinia pestis-specific reg ion. One primer pair designed from this region amplified PCR products from natural isolates of Y. pestis and produced no false positives for near neig hbors, an important criterion for unambiguous bacterial identification.