Patent ID: 8470536

Claim:
A method of amplifying deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) directly from a bodily fluid, comprising: (a) mixing a sample of the bodily fluid with an aqueous composition for extracting and preserving nucleic acid from a sample of a bodily fluid such that said nucleic acid within said sample remains stable at room temperature following mixture with said aqueous composition, said aqueous composition comprising: (i) a denaturing agent; (ii) a chelator; (iii) a buffering agent at a pH of about pH 7 to about pH 11; and (iv) a protease; wherein said aqueous composition does not inhibit a nucleic acid amplification reaction when said composition is added to an amplification reaction mixture at an amount of at least 2% (vol./vol.) of the total volume of said amplification reaction mixture, wherein the final concentration of said denaturing agent in said amplification reaction mixture is less than about 0.01% (wt./vol.), and wherein said nucleic acid is capable of being amplified directly from said sample in said nucleic acid amplification reaction in the absence of an additional detergent; and (b) diluting at least 2% (vol./vol.) of the mixture formed in step (a) in an amplification reaction mixture without prior extraction of nucleic acid molecules present in said mixture and subjecting said amplification reaction mixture to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, wherein said PCR amplifies said nucleic acid molecules.