I'm a member You will be redirected to myBlue. Would you like to
continue? Please wait while you are redirected. Printer Friendly
Version DESCRIPTIONUntil recently, identification of
microorganisms depended either on culture of body fluids or
tissues or identification of antigens, using a variety of
techniques including direct fluorescent antibody technique and
qualitative or quantitative immunoassays. These techniques are
problematic when the microorganism exists in very small numbers
or is technically difficult to culture. Indirect identification
of microorganisms by immunoassays for specific antibodies is
limited by the inability to distinguish between past exposure
and current infection. Response to treatment is typically
assessed according to the patient's clinical response or by
rising titers of specific antibodies and falling antigen titers.
Recently, the availability of nucleic acid probes has permitted
the rapid direct identification of microorganisms' DNA or RNA.
Amplification techniques, including