Yersinia pestis

Yersinia pestis is a Gram-negative bacterium and the causative agent of plague. It is maintained in wild rodent populations and transmitted by fleas, and it can infect humans and other mammals, including cats, causing bubonic, septicaemic or pneumonic plague. Pneumonic plague can spread from person to person and is fatal without prompt treatment, which makes rapid detection critical; it is also classified as a high-priority biothreat agent.

The OneqPCR-realtime™ Yersinia pestis Kit is a ready-to-use assay for the specific detection of Yersinia pestis DNA by real-time PCR (qPCR). Specific primers and a FAM-labelled hydrolysis probe amplify the target, while an internal control detected in the HEX channel reveals possible PCR inhibition or extraction failure. Positive and negative controls are included, and results can be analysed qualitatively or quantitatively using a standard curve.