Abstract: The present invention provide methods using genes associated with multi-drug resistance for rapidly detecting a patient colonized or infected with an multi-drug resistant organism and administrating the appropriate precautions and/or treatment.

Abstract: Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed for generating a resistome profile for a subject, monitoring an infection state of one or more subjects, and/or identifying a potential infection outbreak at a facility, for example, by obtaining first data representative of at least one measure of antibiotic resistance of an organism from a first sample, identifying the organism, determining at least one of an antibiotic susceptibility phenotype, an identity of an antibiotic resistance gene, and an antibiotic to which the organism is non-susceptible, generating and comparing a first pattern to at least one known pattern to determine and generate a profile uniqueness identifier indicating a degree of similarity above a threshold between the first pattern and the at least one known pattern.

Abstract: Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed for generating a resistome profile for a subject, monitoring an infection state of one or more subjects, and/or identifying a potential infection outbreak at a facility, for example, by obtaining first data representative of at least one measure of antibiotic resistance of an organism from a first sample, identifying the organism, determining at least one of an antibiotic susceptibility phenotype, an identity of an antibiotic resistance gene, and an antibiotic to which the organism is non-susceptible, generating and comparing a first pattern to at least one known pattern to determine and generate a profile uniqueness identifier indicating a degree of similarity above a threshold between the first pattern and the at least one known pattern.

Abstract: This disclosure features methods of identifying an organism. The methods include: (a) obtaining a nucleic acid sample from an organism; (b) imaging said nucleic acid; (c) obtaining a restriction map of said nucleic acid; and (d) correlating the restriction map of said nucleic acid with a restriction map database, thereby identifying the organism.

Abstract: This disclosure features methods of identifying an organism. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods of distinguishing virulent and non-virulent strains of organisms, such as E. coli.

Abstract: This disclosure features methods of identifying an organism. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods of distinguishing virulent and non-virulent strains of organisms, such as E. coli.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to devices and methods for immobilizing nucleic acids on a substrate. In certain embodiments, devices of the invention include a voltage source, and a substrate coupled to the voltage source, in which hydrophobicity of the substrate changes in response to an applied electric field and a surface of the substrate is coated with a substance that retains nucleic acids.

Abstract: The invention generally relates to methods and kits for isolating nucleic acids from an organism. In certain embodiments, methods of the invention involve contacting a plurality of lytic enzymes to an organism, thereby lysing a cell wall of the organism to release the nucleic acid, and introducing at least one agent to separate the nucleic acid from the lysed cells, thereby isolating the nucleic acid.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to devices and methods for immobilizing nucleic acids on a substrate. In certain embodiments, devices of the invention include a voltage source, and a substrate coupled to the voltage source, in which hydrophobicity of the substrate changes in response to an applied electric field and a surface of the substrate is coated with a substance that retains nucleic acids.

Abstract: The invention generally relates to sequence assembly and particularly to ordering the alignment of contigs to reference maps. The invention provides systems and methods for assembling contigs by aligning those contigs to a reference map in descending order of placement confidence. Each placement decreases the number of possible placements for the remaining contigs, which otherwise would have been likely to match in numerous places. Contigs are thereby placed along the reference genome with confidence and thus can be assembled into a genome-scale sequence assembly.

Abstract: The invention generally relates to optical maps and particularly to computationally tractable methods of assembling large numbers of single molecule maps by dividing the maps into smaller groups of maps within which all of the maps are similar to one another by some metric. For each group, all of the maps are assembled into contigs. The resulting contigs are then assembled into one or more genome assemblies. By dividing the maps into groups, a number of comparison operations required for assembly is reduced and, since each group of maps can be assembled into a contig in a discrete operation, the overall assembly operation can be parallelized.

Abstract: This disclosure features methods of identifying an organism. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods of distinguishing virulent and non-virulent strains of Listeria monocytogenes.

Abstract: This disclosure features, inter alia, methods for determining at least one property of a nucleic acid. The methods include: (a) fixing the nucleic acid on a planar surface; (b) digesting the nucleic acid into fragments with at least one enzyme; (c) imaging the nucleic acid; and (d) analyzing the imaged nucleic acid to determine the property of the nucleic acid, wherein no internal nucleic acid standard is added during the method.

Abstract: The invention generally relates to methods of characterizing small nucleic acid molecules, such as plasmids or nucleic acid molecules obtained from a virus. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a method of characterizing a small circular nucleic acid molecule, the method including performing rolling circle amplification on a small circular nucleic acid molecule, thereby producing a concatamer, and generating an optical map of the concatamer, thereby characterizing the small circular nucleic acid molecule.

Abstract: This disclosure features methods of identifying an organism. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods of distinguishing virulent and non-virulent strains of Listeria monocytogenes.

Abstract: This disclosure features methods of identifying an organism. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods of distinguishing virulent and non-virulent strains of Listeria monocytogenes.

Abstract: The invention generally relates to methods for elongating nucleic acid, such as DNA, on a charged substrate. In certain embodiments, methods of the invention involve contacting an applicator to a sample including a nucleic acid, and swabbing the applicator on a charged substrate, thereby elongating the nucleic acid on the substrate.

Abstract: The invention generally relates to methods and apparatuses for optimizing conditions for optical mapping. In certain embodiments, methods of the invention involve providing a substrate including a gradient of silanes in a first direction, introducing to the substrate, a gradient of enzyme activity in a second direction, contacting a plurality of enzymes and a plurality of nucleic acids to the substrate, and analyzing enzymatic activity and interaction of the nucleic acids with the substrate, thereby determining the optimal conditions for optical mapping of the nucleic acid.

Abstract: The invention generally relates to systems, cartridges, and methods for automated characterization of a nucleic acid molecule, in particular, optical mapping of DNA from an organism. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a cartridge for characterizing a nucleic acid molecule, the cartridge including a reaction chamber having a derivatized bottom surface, at least one reagent reservoir, and a pump, in which the reaction chamber, the reagent reservoir, and the pump are fluidically connected to each other.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to devices and methods for immobilizing nucleic acids on a substrate. In certain embodiments, devices of the invention include a voltage source, and a substrate coupled to the voltage source, in which hydrophobicity of the substrate changes in response to an applied electric field and a surface of the substrate is coated with a substance that retains nucleic acids.