[Diagnosis of mycobacterioses in the laboratory of the future]

Microscopy is, for various reasons, even today the most important diagnostic measure for pulmonary Tb. With other forms of Tb and with other mycobacterioses there is a considerable increase in importance of the radiometric culture techniques, particularly if these are combined with serologic (ELISA and its variants) or molecular-genetic assays for the presence of mycobacteria. The latter, especially the so called genetic probes combined with the polymerase chain reaction, represent probably the assay of the future for mycobacteria; however, a stern warning must be sounded against the use of such techniques without previous experience in the field of the "classic" mycobacteriology. Serology is, inspite of recent enormous advances, still not capable of producing unequivocal results.