[Advances in genetic diagnostics for mycobacterial infection]

The past decade has seen the rapid advancement of molecular biology and its application in the field of mycobacteriosis. AccuProbe and DNA-DNA hybridization method for identification of mycobacteria are already commercially available and have expedited identification. Furthermore, three commercially available rapid mycobacteria detection kits based on amplification of nucleic acid from specimens, Amplicor, Ligase chain reaction, and Gen-Probe Amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test, have been developed since 1994. Although these new methods are clinically useful, and the utility frequency have been increasing, the problems of false positive and negative results due to various reasons should be carefully resolved in future.