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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Agroecosystem Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #421678
Research Project: Managing Manure as a Soil Resource for Improved Biosecurity, Nutrient Availability, and Soil Sustainability

Location: Agroecosystem Management Research

Title: Multiplex PCR for tetracycline resistance genes SOP

Author
item Condon, Justine
item Durso, Lisa

Submitted to: Protocols.io
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/5/2024
Publication Date: 12/13/2024
Citation: Condon, J.C., Durso, L.M. 2024. Multiplex PCR for tetracycline resistance genes SOP. Protocols.io. https://doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.dm6gpzn61lzp/v1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.dm6gpzn61lzp/v1

Interpretive Summary: Antibiotic drugs are used to treat infectious diseases, however over time the bacteria that cause the diseases have grown resistant to the drugs. When this happens people and their pets are sick longer or may even die where once they would have survived. Just as there are many different types of antibiotic drugs, there are also many types of antibiotic resistance. This protocol describes how to tell if a bacteria has the potential to be resistant to tetracycline drugs. Tetracyclines are used in people to treat some types of pneumonia, acne, chlamydia, certain types of diarrhea and some infections carried by ticks. They are sometimes used to treat pets, and widely used for food animals. This protocol describes an assay that measures multiple tetracycline resistance genes at the same time.

Technical Abstract: The tetracyclines are the most widely used drugs in food animal production both globally, and in the U.S.  They account for 36% of all drugs sold in the U.S. in 2018 for veterinary purposes, with 44% of those attributed to use in cattle and 48% in swine. Although these drugs are classified as “Highly Important” (the second category) by the World Health Organization (WHO), they are not listed on the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report. However, they are commonly used to assess antibiotic resistance in soil and water. This protocol describes the correct procedures on how to set-up, run, and record results for Tetracycline gene Multiplex PCR assays.