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Extraction and Purification of Viral Nucleic Acids from Environmental Samples

  • Protocol
Sample Preparation Techniques for Soil, Plant, and Animal Samples

Part of the book series: Springer Protocols Handbooks ((SPH))

Abstract

Molecular biological techniques (i.e., polymerase chain reaction [PCR], nucleotide sequencing, etc.) have been widely utilized in the field of clinical, food, and environmental virology, because they enable rapid detection and/or characterization of viral genomes in a given sample or specimen. However, the results of molecular detection are often limited because of the presence of inhibitory substances (such as humic and fulvic acids, RNases and DNases), co-extracted from the sample matrix, that can produce false-negative results—this is one of the major challenges to overcome especially when attempting to identify viral genomes in complex sample matrices that contain a large amount of inhibitors. Therefore, viral nucleic acid preparation (i.e., extraction and purification) is a critical step in the molecular detection procedure. This chapter provides a background on the intricacies of nucleic acid preparation for reliable detection of virus genomes in various matrices, by an overview of the sample matrix, inhibitory substances, viral nucleic acid extraction/purification, and quality control and quality assurance steps necessary for effective viral nucleic acid extraction and purification.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Sciences, The University of Arizona, 1117 East Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Brandon C. Iker Ph.D. & Charles P. Gerba Ph.D.

  2. Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, Singapore, 138602, Singapore

    Masaaki Kitajima D.Eng.

Authors
  1. Brandon C. Iker Ph.D.
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  2. Masaaki Kitajima D.Eng.
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  3. Charles P. Gerba Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Masaaki Kitajima D.Eng. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering Design Technology, Cerritos College, Norwalk, California, USA

    Miodrag Micic

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Iker, B.C., Kitajima, M., Gerba, C.P. (2016). Extraction and Purification of Viral Nucleic Acids from Environmental Samples. In: Micic, M. (eds) Sample Preparation Techniques for Soil, Plant, and Animal Samples. Springer Protocols Handbooks. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3185-9_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3185-9_22

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-3184-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-3185-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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