Molecular diagnostics for existing and emerging infections - Complementarytools for a new era of clinical microbiology

Diagnostic molecular methods have had a large effect on diagnosis and manag ement of infectious diseases. These tools have been developed in response t o diagnostic methods that lack sensitivity, specificity, or rapid turnaroun d time, to assist with identification of agents that are difficult to culti vate or classify or as methods for assessing the effects of antiviral or an timicrobial agents in chronic infection. Molecular methods have also enable d microbiologists to define disease by the presence of virulence, toxin, or antimicrobial resistance genes and to identify potentially important clone s of organisms responsible for outbreaks of infection. Early outcome-based studies suggest that molecular methods may provide substantial reductions i n per patient costs. Nucleic acid diagnostic methods will continue to be us ed in infectious disease and microbiology, and increasingly appear to be co mplementary tools with import diagnostic patient management, and health car e cost benefits for the laboratory and health care systems.