Modern diagnosis (with molecular tests) of acute infectious diarrhea.

There have been three significant technical developments in the molecular genetic diagnosis of infectious diarrhea. The first was the replacement of polynucleotide probes with more specific synthetic oligonucleotide probes. The second was the replacement of radiolabeled markers with nonradiolabeled markers, and the third was PCR amplification. In the PCR procedure, it is possible to increase the quantity of target nucleotide sequences to quantities easily detectable with nonradioactive oligonucleotide probes. It is now possible to amplify nucleotide sequences of more than one enteric pathogen with different primers simultaneously and to detect these amplified nucleotide sequences with nonradiolabeled oligonucleotide probes. With a scanning laser system, the results of enteric PCRs will be used to identify enteric pathogens on a routine basis in clinical and public health laboratories. Computers need to be used to analyze these results and transfer this information rapidly to clinicians and public health officials.