Nucleic acid-based assays

Nucleic-acid based assays for the identification of bacteria are molecular techniques that involve the analysis of bacterial DNA or RNA rather than phenotypic characteristics. These methods offer advantages over phenotypic methods for bacteria that are impossible or very slow to grow in the lab and for bacteria that are difficult to distinguish from other bacteria by culture-based methods. Because nucleic acids are common to all agents that can cause infection, including viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria, molecular methods can also be used in cases where it is unclear which of these pathogens is causing the infection. Pathogenic DNA or RNA can be analyzed by sequencing, nucleic acid hybridization, and PCR based tests. All of these methods have become cheaper and easier to use for clinical microbiologists in recent years.