DNA from rodent droppings - (Mar/20/2006 )

Dear all:
Does anyone know if it is possible to extract DNA from mice droppings?

thanks in advance!

---

I'm quite certain that it is

but for what DNA? rodent droppings will be loaded with bacteria, yeasts, viruses, parasites...all of these will give up their DNA. are you looking for mouse DNA from the droppings? I would think that is in there, as well, but in less concentration, from epithelial cells shed in the intestinal tract

---

Hmmm....this a mightly good point - I honesly did not consider this -thanks.

However I think in my case I maybe able to get away with it since my primers for the particular gene I am trying to PCR maybe just different enough between bacteria, yeast etc to get away with it - I really dont know though...in the mean time I am still looking for a protocol, if anything it would be fun just to see if I can do it.

---

We use EpiCenter's fecal DNA extraction kit to collect DNA from mouse droppings. We get very clean DNA with this kit that works well in PCR (there are a lot of components in fecal material that inhibit PCR).

---

Hey HomeBrew,

Have you ever used MoBio fecal DNA extrxn kit? I have a smear in my PCR product from mice fecal samples, and we were using Qiaquick gel extrxn kit to purify DNA, but this doesn't help in most of my samples.
thnx,
t

---

Zymo Research Group has a pretty decent fecal kit.

---

No -- I've only done a dozen or so such extractions, all with the EpiCenter kit. They've all been successful, however, at least for use as a PCR template.

---

I did a side by side comparison of the MoBio fecal DNA extraction kit with Zymo's kit, which proved to take much less time and gave a higher yield.

---

So, was Mobio higher yield or Zymo?


I did a side by side comparison of the MoBio fecal DNA extraction kit with Zymo's kit, which proved to take much less time and gave a higher yield.
[/quote]

---

Sorry, it was Zymo that was quicker AND with the better yield.

---