DETECTION OF CULTURE-RESISTANT BACTERIAL PATHOGENS BY AMPLIFICATION AND SEQUENCING OF RIBOSOMAL DNA

Molecular phylogeny is profoundly influencing the field of bacterial e volution. New knowledge in this area has led to an exciting ability to detect and classify bacteria without culturing them. The process invo lved consists of either amplification or cloning of ribosomal DNA from a bacterial population, sequencing of this ribosomal DNA, and phyloge netic analysis of the sequences obtained. This approach has so far bee n applied successfully to four infectious diseases: bacillary angiomat osis, human ehrlichiosis, Whipple's disease, and Tyzzer's disease. Int erpretation of data obtained by this method has been straightforward.