Molecular Diagnostics of Bacterial Pathogens
Molecular diagnostics of bacterial pathogens is a rapidly growing field within clinical microbiology. The first commonly used routine application was the detection of bacterial sexually transmitted pathogens. Most of these micro-organisms are difficult to
- PDF / 249,241 Bytes
- 20 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 65 Downloads / 211 Views
Molecular Diagnostics of Bacterial Pathogens Petra F.G. Wolffs, Tanja H. Geelen and Lieke B. van Alphen
Abstract Molecular diagnostics of bacterial pathogens is a rapidly growing field within clinical microbiology. The first commonly used routine application was the detection of bacterial sexually transmitted pathogens. Most of these micro-organisms are difficult to culture and therefore molecular diagnostics are providing a reliable, easy and high-throughput alternative. Over time, molecular diagnostic methods were developed and implemented for more easily culturable micro-organisms as well. The implementation of molecular tests for detection of bacterial gastrointestinal pathogens is one example that is discussed in this chapter. In this latter area often a combination of molecular diagnostics with conventional culture is preferred. In the final part of the chapter, bacterial typing is highlighted. Molecular typing of bacteria has provided the opportunity, in contrast to conventional typing, to perform same day, high throughput typing. Furthermore, many of the molecular typing methods discussed in this chapter have an improved discriminatory power. In conclusion, the field of molecular diagnostics of bacterial pathogens is constantly moving and new techniques are being developed and implemented in a continuous search for assays with an even higher technical and diagnostic sensitivity and/or specificity. The importance of molecular diagnostics of bacterial pathogens for clinical microbiology laboratories will likely only further increase in the future.
Keywords Bacterial pathogens Sexually transmitted disease Antimicrobial treatment Molecular typing
1.1
Gastroenteritis
Introduction
This chapter aims to give a non-comprehensive overview of molecular diagnostics of clinically relevant bacterial pathogens. Molecular diagnostics of bacterial pathogens from clinical samples is a relatively new, but rapidly growing field. In contrast to the P.F.G. Wolffs (&) T.H. Geelen L.B. van Alphen Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht UMC, Maastricht, The Netherlands e-mail: [email protected] © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 E. van Pelt-Verkuil et al. (eds.), Molecular Diagnostics, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-4511-0_1
1
2
P.F.G. Wolffs et al.
difficult-to-culture, slow-growing viruses, for which molecular diagnostics was rapidly developed to overcome those diagnostic challenges, for bacteria, the ease and low costs of culture-based diagnostics initially limited the application of molecular diagnostics. However, in recent years, also for many bacterial pathogens, molecular tests have been developed. In this chapter we will illustrate developments in this field using two examples. First we will discuss molecular assays for the detection of bacterial sexually transmitted infections. Molecular bacterial diagnostics started in most clinical laboratories in this area. The second example concerns the diagnosis of bacterial pathogens involved in gastroenteritis. In contrast, this is an area where developments ar
Data Loading...
