Biological Specimen Collection and Transport System

摘要

Disclosed are compositions for isolating populations of nucleic acids from biological, forensic, and environmental samples. Also disclosed are methods for using these compositions as one-step formulations for killing pathogens, inactivating nucleases, and releasing polynucleotides from other cellular components within the sample, and stabilizing the nucleic acids prior to further processing or assay. The disclosed compositions safely facilitate rapid sample collection, and provide extended storage and transport of the samples at ambient or elevated temperature without contamination of the sample or degradation of the nucleic acids contained therein. This process particularly facilitates the collection of specimens from remote locations, and under conditions previously considered hostile for preserving the integrity of nucleic acids released from lysed biological samples without the need of refrigeration or freezing prior to molecular analysis.

主权项

1. A stock solution which, when combined with a biological sample suspected of containing a pathogen forms a composition comprising components with concentrations as follows:
a chaotrope present in an amount from 0.5 M to 6M; a detergent present in an amount from 0.1% to 1% (wt./vol.); a reducing agent in an amount from 0.5 mM to 0.3 M; a chelator present in an amount from 0.5 mM to 50 mM; a surfactant present in an amount from 0.0001% to 0.3% (wt./vol.); a short-chain alkanol present in an amount from 1 to 25% (vol./vol.); a buffer present in an amount from 1 mM to 1 M; an acid or base present in an amount that provides the stock solution with a pH of from 5 to 7; and nuclease-free water, wherein the components of the composition denature proteins, inactivate nucleases, and kill pathogens all without degrading nucleic acids of the sample.