Mosquito DNA Extraction and High Throughput Gene Targeting on Bead Ruptor 96 Bead Mill Homogenizer

Mosquitoes, specifically Aedes aegypti, are known to act as a host for vector borne diseases such as yellow fever, Dengue fever, and Zika (Mousson, 2005). Most of these diseases are associated with tropical climates, but Aedes aegypti are found throughout the Southeast United States, with a likely range from Virginia to Texas (Eisen, 2013). To monitor the spread of vector borne diseases, researchers typically sample mosquitoes from the field and dissociate the organism to release internal pathogens for quantification of pathogen load. Researchers require a fast and repeatable sample preparation technique to rapidly dissociate a large number of mosquitoes while maintaining a high degree of vector and pathogen lysis. Herein, we demonstrate dissociation of Aedes aegypti using the Omni Bead Ruptor 96 bead mill homogenizer for the purification of DNA and analysis by endpoint PCR.

Table 1: DNA quantification and purity analysis by spectrophotometry using DNA purified from 50 mg of Aedes aegypti.