The Clinical Microbiologist's Molecular Toolbox: an Ever-Expanding Resource for Bacterial Identification in the Laboratory

Improved methodologies, availability of genome sequences, automated technology, and commercial database systems have assisted in the transition to using molecular techniques for routine diagnostic purposes. As such, molecular species identification of bacteria by sequencing genes encoding 16S rRNA or other housekeeping functions is rapidly becoming a commonplace tool used in the clinical microbiology laboratory. These non-traditional methods are used as complementary procedures to provide definitive identification of isolates of a slow-growing or fastidious nature or those with ambiguous biochemical profiles. DNA sequencing of conserved genes and mass spectrometry applications offer great potential to assist in rapid bacterial identification and enhance our ability to discover new agents of disease.