(1) Drs. Adèle Mennerat and Ben C. Sheldon in their article entitled “How to Deal with PCR Contamination in Molecular Microbial Ecology” (2014) asserts that pre-treating PCR mixes with restriction enzymes DNase 1 and Sau3AI, as well as the reducing agent DTT, reduces contamination levels from unwanted microbial DNA. (2) Mennerat and Sheldon provide evidence that enzymatic treatment reduced contamination because for both enzymes, fewer OTUs were identified after treatment when compared to the negative controls. (3) The purpose of this article is to describe possible methods of reducing contamination in PCR experiments in microbial ecology, as PCR contamination can significantly impact results. (4) Mennerat and Sheldon establish a scholarly relationship with other microbial ecology researchers, as well as other scientists who are experiencing problems with PCR contamination from unwanted microbial DNA.

Mennerat, A, Sheldon, BC. 2014. How to Deal with PCR Contamination in Molecular Microbial Ecology. Microb Ecol 68:834-841.