Abstract INTRODUCTION Molecular techniques for the detection of pathogens have been shown to be effective diagnostic tools with high sensitivity and short turnaround times. METHODS This study compared five Staphylococcus aureus DNA extraction methods for detection by the polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS:

The concentration and purity of the extracted DNA showed that the methods did not yield DNA of significant quality. However, most protocols yielded 100% positivity, even with low DNA concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS:

Although one protocol seemed more efficient than the others, PCR was sensitive enough to allow for detection of S. aureus with all the protocols.