CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC APPLICATIONS OF THE POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION - INFECTION AND REJECTION

In this review, we describe the power and sensitivity of the polymeras e chain reaction and indicate areas of clinical medicine in which it i s currently being applied. As this technology and automation improves and is simplified, its realm of application will expand, but its major impact will continue to be its facilitation of early, specific diagno ses in infectious disease, genetics, cancer, and transplantation. Poly merase chain reaction is currently most useful in the care of opportun istic infections in immunosuppressed hosts and in making the distincti on between infection and rejection in transplant recipients. As the te chnique becomes more widely available and less costly, its application should minimize the need for broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy of inf ections, lower costs, and perhaps even shorten hospitalization. These potential beneficial effects of polymerase chain reaction will be part icularly relevant in the current cost-conscious health-care environmen t.