Nucleic acid hybridization in viral diagnosis

Since 1982, numerous studies have been published utilizing a variety of hybridization techniques to detect viral nucleic acid directly in clinical specimens and in tissue sections. However, hybridization techniques are still not widely used in the clinical laboratory. Other recent advances, such as the development of monoclonal antibodies for virus identification and ELISA kits for virus detection, and the introduction of centrifugation cultures for rapid diagnosis, have postponed the clinical application of hybridization techniques. Furthermore, the use of hybridization for diagnosis has been limited by its insensitivity when compared to cell culture, the need for radioisotopes to increase sensitivity, and the difficulties inherent in transferring a basic research tool to the clinical laboratory. Nevertheless, with recently developed amplification techniques and further advances in nonradioactive labelling of probes, it can be expected that nucleic acid hybridization will be an established technique in diagnostic laboratories in the near future.