IDENTIFICATION OF EUKARYOTIC SPECIES USING PROBES DERIVED FROM THE INTERGENIC REGION OF PAIRS OF DIVERGENTLY TRANSCRIBED HISTONE GENES

摘要

A method for detecting a eukaryotic species in a sample. The method comprises the steps of contacting a first primer complementary to the coding sequence of a first histone gene of a pair of divergently transcribed histone genes located in the sample and amplifying at least a segment of a non-coding sequence located between and contiguous with the coding sequence of the first and a second histone gene of the pair to produce a probe that is substantially complementary to the non-coding sequence. The probe is compared with one or more reference nucleic acid molecules comprising non-coding sequences of one or more eukaryotic species thereby detecting whether said species is present in said sample.