A Catalytic DNA Activated by a Specific Strain of Bacterial Pathogen

Abstract Pathogenic strains of bacteria are known to cause various infectious diseases and there is a growing demand for molecular probes that can selectively recognize them. Here we report a special DNAzyme (catalytic DNA), RFD‐CD1, that shows exquisite specificity for a pathogenic strain of Clostridium difficile ( C. difficile ). RFD‐CD1 was derived by an in vitro selection approach where a random‐sequence DNA library was allowed to react …