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  6. Method of Detecting Coccidioides Species

Method of Detecting Coccidioides Species

Description

The invention provides methods and kits to detect and quantify Coccidioides species based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). The method includes real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays and oligonucleotides used as primers and probes, providing a highly sensitive, specific assay system for rapidly quantifying Coccidioides.

Additional information

Patent number and inventor

9,127,321

David Engelthaler, Elizabeth Driebe, and Paul Keim.

Potential applications

Clinical applications to treat valley fever.

Benefits and advantages

Coccidioidomycosis, also known as valley Fever, is caused by infection with fungal gents, Coccidioides immitis or Coccidioides posadasii. Valley fever infection rates have increased with the influx of immunologically naïve individuals into the southwestern United States. The infected individuals who return home are more likely to escape or confound diagnosis in nonendemic regions.

While real-time PCR-based assays have been developed, these assays do not accurately detect or quantify Coccidioides organisms in an infection. This invention provides a highly sensitive, specific assay system for rapidly quantifying Coccidioides.

Case number and licensing status

2011-013

This invention is available for licensing.