PCR from saliva?

[Adrian.Philbey at SMTPGWY.AGRIC.NSW.GOV.AU]

          Igor R Sagdeev (isagdeev at osf1.gmu.edu) asked for information
          about processing saliva for PCR. A colleague in the
          laboratory I worked at in Scotland was attempting to amplify
          Epstein-Barr virus sequences from saliva by PCR. Saliva was
          collected from donors using a salivette, which has a plug of
          absorbant material. The salivette was centrifuged to extract
          the saliva from the plug. After digestion at 55 degrees
          Celsius for 1 hour with proteinase K and inactivation of the
          enzyme by steaming at 100 degrees Celsius, the DNA was
          extracted using a Qiagen column. At the stage of his
          investigations in 1994, the particular columns used were
          prototypes that had not yet been marketed commercially.

          Unfortunately, as I am now in Australia, I cannot supply you
          with details of the source of salivettes, the composition of
          the digestion solution, the specifications of the columns or
          the exact method used to extract DNA. Nonetheless, I hope
          that this has been of assistance.

          Adrian W Philbey
          Veterinary Research Officer
          Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute
          Private Mail Bag 8
          Camden  NSW  2570
          Australia
          
          Telephone: 61-46-293332
          Facsimile: 61-46-293429
          email: philbea at agric.nsw.gov.au