| Abstract: |
Molecular diagnosis was first introduced to clinical microbiology in the late 1980s. Since then, the molecular technologies have improved significantly and molecular tests have become a very important part of clinical microbiology services for identification, quantification, and speciation of microorganisms. In this chapter, the authors summarize and comment on the state-of-the-art molecular methods for the diagnosis of infectious diseases caused by important bacterial and mycobacterial pathogens. For the molecular methods commonly used in clinical laboratories, we outline the principles and characteristics as well as the commercially available instruments and reagents. For each bacterial pathogen, we describe the general etiologic characteristics and clinical presentation and contrast the pearls and pitfalls of detection platforms currently available in clinical microbiology practice. For detailed methodology discussion, please refer to method chapter. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013. All rights are reserved. |
