New rapid microbiological diagnostic techniques

Abstract

Objective: To briefly and critically review the role of new, rapid techniques, especially PCR, in the diagnosis of infectious diseases. Methodology: Review of the literature. Results: New diagnostic techniques show great promise but many techniques are still in their infancy and the relative roles of the various methods remain uncertain. Conclusions: It seems likely that different techniques will continue to be useful in a number of different contexts. No one technique is likely to become 'diagnostically dominant' in the foreseeable future.