Nucleic acid probes in clinical microbiology.

The infectious disease applications of nucleic acid probe have been described. In addition, the basic procedures of nucleic acid probe technology have been discussed, as have the factors affecting implementation of probe technology in diagnostic laboratories. Despite the questions raised, nucleic acid probes will become part of the diagnostic laboratory in the near future. Commercial interests are developing and marketing new probes, reagents, and kits which will expedite the employment of this technology. High-volume reference laboratories will first use probes as part of a battery of tests which will include ELISA and monoclonal antibody methods. In all probability, probes will replace methods: that have proven to be ineffective, difficult, or costly such as culturing for some enteric pathogens and Legionella, that require long incubation periods, such as mycobacteria, or that have high costs and low yields, such as virology.