Search
Search
View additional product information for TaqMan™ Microbe Detection Assay - FAQs (A50137)
10 product FAQs found
Our predesigned and custom TaqMan microbial 20X assays have a primer concentration of 900 nM and a probe concentration of 250 nM in the final 1X concentration.
Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our TaqMan Primers and Probes Support Center.
- A recommended assay is the assay with the best strain coverage based on in silico prediction. In other words, recommended assays have the highest number of predicted on-targets and lowest number of predicted off-targets.
- A qualified assay has gone through R&D testing within the context of our main microbe detection applications, such as urinary tract, respiratory tract, and vaginal microbiota detection.
- A control banner is used exclusively for common control assays used in microbe detection applications.
We have several controls for our pathogen-related content. To find a list of all available amplification controls, simply search in the Microbe Detection Search Tool (https://www.thermofisher.com/microbe-detection/taqman/query/) and click on the “Controls” option. Please contact Technical Support if you are unsure whether a particular control is compatible with your assay of interest. We also have options for creating a custom control, containing your specific targets of interest. You can find more information here: https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/clinical/clinical-genomics/pathogen-detection-solutions/real-time-pcr-panel-controls.html
When using the assays in a single-tube format, we recommend following this general protocol (https://assets.thermofisher.com/TFS-Assets/LSG/manuals/MAN0018536_TaqManMicrobialAssays_SingleTube_QR.pdf).
There are several ways to search for TaqMan Microbe Detection and Antibiotic Resistance Assays. From the main Thermo Fisher Scientific website page (www.thermofisher.com), hover over the word “Popular” in the top navigation bar. From the menu that comes up, select “TaqMan Real-Time PCR Assays”. Under “The right TaqMan Assay is just a couple of clicks away”, from the TaqMan Assay dropdown, select “Microbe & ABR Detection”. In the search box, you can then enter your target organism and find your assay of interest.
You can also use these friendly URLs:
https://www.thermofisher.com/microbe-detection/taqman/query/
https://www.thermofisher.com/antibiotic-resistance/taqman/query/
To search for multiple targets, from the search results displayed above, click on the link in the upper right for “Search Multiple Targets”.
There are several ways to search for TaqMan Microbe Detection and Antibiotic Resistance Assays. From the main Thermo Fisher Scientific website page (www.thermofisher.com), hover over the word “Popular” in the top navigation bar. From the menu that comes up, select “TaqMan Real-Time PCR Assays”. Under “The right TaqMan Assay is just a couple of clicks away”, from the TaqMan Assay dropdown, select “Microbe & ABR Detection”. In the search box, you can then enter your target organism and find your assay of interest.
You can also use these friendly URLs:
https://www.thermofisher.com/microbe-detection/taqman/query/
https://www.thermofisher.com/antibiotic-resistance/taqman/query/
TaqMan Microbe Detection and Antibiotic Resistance Assays are provided with target strain information, not gene target information.
An assay will be marked as discontinued for the following reasons:
- The assay ID could be in an older format of Pa########_s1, for a “Pathogen” assay. We have converted these to a more organism-specific format (Ba/Vi/Fn/Pr for Bacteria/Virus/Fungi/Protozoa), and the assay sequences themselves are identical.
- There is a newer design that detects more strains (or fewer off-targets) than the current assay.
However, TaqMan Microbe Detection and Antibiotic Resistance Assays that provide a discontinued message on the website or in your shopping cart can still be ordered. Simply continue with the checkout process if you need to keep using this same assay. The discontinued message may be present because there is a new design. You can check for this and compare your options by doing the following:
Search for the target organism in the Microbe Assay Search Tool (https://www.thermofisher.com/microbe-detection/taqman/query/) (e.g., Hepatitis B virus, original assay ID Vi03453406_s1). The recommended assay will appear in the search result. You can review the target information under “Target Strains” and “Cross Reactivity” and compare with the previous assay. Depending on your workflow, (for example, starting a new study) you may consider switching to the new assay.
There are two main reasons why an assay will be marked as discontinued:
- The assay ID could be in an older format of Pa########_s1, for a “Pathogen” assay. We have converted these to a more organism-specific format (Ba/Vi/Fn/Pr for Bacteria/Virus/Fungi/Protozoa), and the assay sequences themselves are identical.
- There is a newer design that detects more strains (or fewer off-targets) than the current assay.
The letter designation in the assay ID is intended for species identification. For our TaqMan Microbe Detection and Antibiotic Resistance Assays, this represents the organism (Ba = Bacteria, Vi = Virus, Fn = Fungi, Pr = Protozoa). When these assays were first released, the assay ID used the all-encompassing format of “Pa” for Pathogen. We have since duplicated all the “Pa” assay IDs into their respective organism-specific format. The assays themselves are exactly the same (i.e., no change in the primer and probe sequence). We encourage you to switch to the Ba/Vi/Fn/Pr format, as these will be displayed more easily on our website using our Microbe Assay Search Tool ((https://www.thermofisher.com/microbe-detection/taqman/query/)).