Patent ID: 7794985

Claim:
A method for detecting the presence of a nucleic acid template in a sample, the method comprising the steps of: combining the sample in a reaction vessel with a first primer and a second primer, the second primer including (i) a first section having a plurality of nucleotides that bind with a portion of the nucleic acid template, (ii) a second section that is spaced-apart from the first section, the second section including a plurality of nucleotides that do not bind with the nucleic acid template, and (iii) a spacer that couples the first section to the second section; extending the first section with additional nucleotides; binding the first primer to the extended first section; extending the first primer with additional nucleotides; terminating extension of the first primer with the spacer of the second primer; adding a forward tapper and a reverse tapper to the reaction vessel, the forward tapper binding to the second section and extending along the second section; and amplifying the second section to increase the number of second sections in the reaction vessel.