Relman D A
Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, California.
J Infect Dis. 1993 Jul;168(1):1-8. doi: 10.1093/infdis/168.1.1.
Clinicians have long been aware of human diseases that are associated with visible but uncultured microorganisms. Without the ability to cultivate these organisms, they have remained unidentified. Environmental microbiologists have also discovered on the basis of recent advances in the field of molecular phylogeny that culture-based methods for detecting microorganisms are biased and insensitive. A culture-independent experimental approach is described for the identification of microbial pathogens. This approach incorporates fundamental aspects of 16S rRNA-based molecular phylogeny as well as nucleic acid amplification technology. From its application to Whipple's disease, one can speculate as to the potential insights a highly sensitive, culture-independent method may provide into the diversity and natural ecology of human microbial pathogens.
临床医生早就知道一些人类疾病与可见但无法培养的微生物有关。由于无法培养这些微生物，它们一直未被识别。环境微生物学家也基于分子系统发育领域的最新进展发现，基于培养的微生物检测方法存在偏差且不敏感。本文描述了一种用于鉴定微生物病原体的非培养实验方法。该方法结合了基于16S rRNA的分子系统发育的基本方面以及核酸扩增技术。从其在惠普尔病中的应用可以推测，一种高度敏感的非培养方法可能会为人类微生物病原体的多样性和自然生态提供潜在的见解。
