Rapid Detection and Identification of Infectious Agents

Rapid Detection and Identification of Infectious Agents is a collection of papers presented at the International Symposium on Rapid Detection and Identification of Infectious Agents held on October 5-7, 1983, in Oakland, California, and organized by the Naval Biosciences Laboratory of the School of Public Health of the University of California at Berkeley. Contributors examine progress in the field of rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases, with a particular emphasis on DNA probe-based assays and monoclonal and polyclonal antibody-based immunoassays. This volume is organized into five sections encompassing 20 chapters. It begins with an overview of state-of-the-art methods for rapid detection and identification of infectious agents, including technology that is currently applied in clinical microbiology, as well as concerns regarding the political and scientific climates, which have an impact on health care and clinical microbiology. Chapters are organized to deal with a single diagnostic type of test for a given broad group of organisms. The approach is to compare the strengths and weaknesses of each of the new diagnostic procedures, using the same type of clinical material whenever possible. The book gives consideration to the fundamental design of DNA probes and probe assay systems, the clinical comparison of immunologic assays for the diagnosis of meningococcal disease, and immunodiagnostics for viral and parasitic pathogens. This book will be of value to scientists and researchers interested in immunology and infectious diseases, as well as the methods used to detect and identify them.

ContributorsPrefaceImmunodiagnostics: Viral and Parasitic Pathogens Technological Advances in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory: Sensitivity, Specificity, and Cost Effectiveness Enzymatic Assays for the Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases Viral Hepatitis-A Model for Rapid Diagnosis of Infectious Disease Serodiagnosis of Herpes Simplex Virus and Cytomegalovirus Infection with Monoclonal Antibodies Recent Developments on Diagnostic Methods for Toxoplasmosis and Chagas' DiseaseMolecular Probes: Viral, Subviral, and Parasitic Pathogens Defined Viral Probes for the Detection of HSV, CMV, and HPV Aspects of Using Nucleic Acid Filter Hybridization to Characterize and Detect Enteroviral RNAs Rapid Identification of Leishmania Species Using Specific Hybridization of Kinetoplast DNA Sequences Detection of Viroids in PlantsImmunodiagnostics: Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens Sensitive Homogeneous Enzyme Immunoassays for Microbial Antigens Latex Agglutination Tests for the Rapid Diagnosis of Infectious Disease Comparison of Immunoassays for Detection of Bacterial Antigens in Cerebrospinal Fluid from Meningitis Patients Detection of Coccidioides immitis Infection by Enzyme ImmunoassayMolecular Probes: Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens Selection of DNA Probes for Use in the Diagnosis of Infectious Disease Rapid Detection of Mycoplasmas with DNA Probes Synthesis and Detection of 3'-OH Terminal Biotin-Labeled DNA Probes Chemiluminescent and Fluorescent Probes for DNA Hybridization Systems Monoclonal Antibody Specific for Double-Stranded DNA: A Nonradioactive Probe Method for Detection of DNA HybridizationSummary Presentations and Conclusions Summary of DNA Probes Immunodiagnostics in Clinical Microbiology Concluding RemarksIndex