A widely applicable protocol for DNA isolation from fecal samples.

Feces are increasingly used as sources of DNA for genetic and ecological research. This paper describes a new method for isolation of DNA from animal feces. This method combines multiple purification steps, including pretreatment with ethanol and TE, an inhibitor-absorber made of starch, the CTAB method, the phenol-chloroform extraction method, and the guanidinium thiocyanate-silica method. The new method is efficient according to PCR results of 585 fecal samples from 23 species and costs much less than the commercial kits. The protocol can be tailored to the specific purpose of examining different diets of animals and can be performed with routine laboratory reagents.