1988/01/01 by F C Tenover, Fred C. Tenover
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · Medicine · #Bacteriophages and microbial interactions #Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences #Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment
paper · doi:10.1128/cmr.1.1.82
openalex publication_date 1988/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Virtually all microorganisms contain some unique nucleotide sequences which can be the target of deoxyribonucleic acid probes. Probes have been used successfully to identify a wide variety of pathogens from the simple ribonucleic acid-containing polioviruses to the complex filarial worms Brugia malayi. Probe technology offers the clinical laboratory the potential both to extend the types of pathogens that can be readily identified and to reduce significantly the time associated with the identification of fastidious microorganisms. Over a dozen commercially prepared deoxyribonucleic acid probe tests are now available. This article explores the development of deoxyribonucleic acid probe tests and reviews the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of many of the diagnostic probes developed during the last several years. Prospects for newer, more sensitive detection systems for the products of hybridization reactions are also reviewed.