Advances in nucleic acid-based diagnostics of bacterial infections

Methods for rapid detection of infectious bacteria and antimicrobial-resistant pathogens have evolved significantly over the last decade. Many of the new procedures are nucleic acid-based and replace conventional diagnostic methods like culturing which is time consuming especially with fastidious and slow growing microorgansims. The widespread use of antibiotics has resulted in an increased number of cases with resistant microorganisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin resistant enterococci, and multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Rapid detection of these pathogens is important to isolate patients and prevent further spreading of the diseases. Newly developed diagnostic procedures are superior with respect to turnaround time, sensitivity and specificity. Methods like multiplex real time PCR and different array-based technologies offer the possibility of multiparameter assays where several pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes can be detected simultaneously.