Magnetic Beads Carried Over in Extracted DNA Elution from Mastitis Cow Milk

Using the magnetic separation technique in nucleic acid extraction is considered one of the most rabid and easy automated extraction methods that use minimal amounts of equipment. This paper describes some cow-related factors that may affect the carrying of magnetic beads during the extraction process. A total of 85 milk samples were collected from clinically infected cows with mastitis. DNA extraction is done using the Mag MAX™ CORE Nucleic Acid Purification Kit and the King Fisher™ Duo Prime Purification System. Fifty-three (62.4%) samples are extracted normally, while thirty-two (37.6%) have a magnetic bead carried over, and two (6.3%) out of the thirty-two supernatant DNA samples can’t be collected. To evaluate the impact of lactation, frequency of mastitis, days in milk, and gestation period on magnetic beads carried over during DNA extraction when using the magnetic separation technique, a Chi-square test of independence was performed, and it showed that there was no significant association between magnetic beads carried over and lactation (Chi square = 0.28, P = 0.60), frequency of mastitis (Chi square = 2.26, P = 0.13), days in milk (Chi square = 0.84, P = 0.66), and gestation period (Chi square = 4.24, P = 0.12). Therefore, more studies need to be conducted to interpret this phenomenon.