Use of nucleic acid probes in the diagnosis of diarrheal disorders

DNA probes have recently been used for the identification of enteric pathogens. The principle of this technique is described and those enteric pathogens which have been identified by DNA hybridization techniques are discussed. This technique has been used primarily to study the epidemiology of enterotoxigenic, enteroinvasive and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, and identify enteropathogenic determinants in other species of bacteria. DNA hybridization techniques have only been used by well-equipped research laboratories. The recent development of non-radioactive markers for DNA probe should make it feasible for laboratories without ready access to radioisotopes to use this technique in their studies of enteric diseases.