Attention: open in a new window. PrintE-mail

Enabling extraordinary PCR sensitivity: Pathogen-DNA enrichment

Many microbial infections are characterized by low pathogen loads in the presence of high amounts of human DNA. Moreover, in many diseases (e.g. sepsis, septic arthritis, meningitis) microbial DNA is shaded by human DNA and PCR may not be sensitive enough to enable satisfactory analytical sensitivities.

Based on proprietary technologies Molzym has developed MolYsis, a platform enabling the specific enrichment of microbial DNA from various sample types. MolYsis allows for up to 40,000-fold enrichment of bacterial DNA as compared to conventional DNA isolation protocols. In addition, MolYsis is the first molecular platform enabling to differentiate between DNA from viable pathogens and DNA from lysed and dead microbes. MolYsis is available for manual as well as for automated workflows.


View video on MolYsis Technology:


Selected applications for direct pathogen analysis:

  • Diseases: Sepsis, septic arthritis, infectious endocarditis, meningitis, pneumonia
  • Sample types: whole blood, serum, plasma, CSF, synovial fluid and other aspirates, tissues, biopsies, catheter and prosthesis swabs.

Selected Publications:

  1. von Loewenich FD, Geißdörfer W, Disqué C, Matten J, Schett G, Sakka SG, Bogdan C (2010) Detection of "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis" in two patients with severe febrile illnesses: evidence for a european sequence variant. J Clin Microbiol 48, 2630-2635.

  2. Sakka SG, Kochem AJ, Disqué C, Wellinghausen N (2009) Blood infection diagnosis by 16S rDNA broad-spectrum polymerase chain reaction: the relationship between antibiotic treatment and bacterial DNA load. Anesthesia Analgesia 109, 1707-1708.

  3. Wellinghausen N, Kochem AJ, Disqué C, Mühl H, Gebert S, Winter J, Matten J, Sakka SG (2009) Diagnosis of bacteremia in whole-blood samples by use of a commercial universal 16S rRNA gene-based PCR and sequence analysis. J Clin Microbiol 47, 2759-2765.


Licensing inquiries: Jan Detmers, Ph.D., This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it