الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Modern applications based on molecular methods have contributed significantly to our ability to study microbial pathogens. Selective applications, including detection of pathogens that are especially difficult to assess by conventional culture-based methods, have significantly enhanced efforts to improve timely diagnosis and patient management. The tremendous genetic diversity of pathogenic agents poses a formidable challenge in the speedy and accurate design of molecular assays. Conventional phenotypic methods for bacterial detection and identification have depended for decades on cultivation of microbial cultures in liquid or plated media. Various formulations have been developed to optimize recovery of different bacterial and fungal pathogens. Biochemical testing by manual and semi-automated methods has been a key element of bacterial identification for decades. However, rapid molecular methods have enhanced the capabilities of laboratories to identify and characterize microbial pathogens in greater detail. Nucleic acid amplification strategies and advances in amplicon detection have been key aspects in the progress of molecular microbiology. Sophisticated new amplification–detection combinations are resulting in many applications in laboratory testing for infectious diseases. These applications include qualitative detection, sub-species-level Deoxy Nucleic Acid (DNA) fingerprinting, molecular resistance testing and genotyping, and quantitative (viral load) testing. When applied selectively, these applications can enhance diagnostic approaches and clinical management and will probably evolve into standard laboratory and point-of-care testing protocols. The understanding of sub-species-level or strain. |