TY - JOUR T1 - The role of DNA amplification technology in the diagnosis of infectious diseases JF - Canadian Medical Association Journal JO - CMAJ SP - 301 LP - 309 VL - 163 IS - 3 AU - Marie Louie AU - Lisa Louie AU - Andrew E. Simor Y1 - 2000/08/08 UR - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/163/3/301.abstract N2 - NUCLEIC ACID AMPLIFICATION AND DETECTION METHODS developed in the past decade are useful for the diagnosis and management of a variety of infectious diseases. The most widely used of these methods is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR assays can detect rapidly and accurately the presence of fastidious and slow-growing microorganisms, such as Chlamydia, mycoplasmas, mycobacteria, herpesviruses and enteroviruses, directly from clinical specimens. Commercial PCR assays for the diagnosis of tuberculosis and genital C. trachomatis infection are now routinely used in many diagnostic laboratories. Assays have also been developed that can detect antimicrobial resistance and are used to identify the cause of infection by organisms that cannot be cultivated. The value of viral load measurement by nucleic acid amplification in the management of patients with HIV infection or hepatitis C has also been well established. However, evaluations of this technology for rapid microbial diagnosis have generally been limited by small samples, and the cost of these assays may be as high as Can$125 per test. As nucleic acid amplification methods continue to evolve, their role in the diagnosis and management of patients with infectious diseases and their impact on clinical outcomes will become better defined. ER -