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Molecular biology methods such as PCR and hybridization have significantly decreased thelength of time required for the detection of waterborne pathogens. For some waterborne agentslike noroviruses, PCR and hybridization assays are the only reliable methods for their detection.The advantages gained by PCR have introduced new problems for applying these assays todetect waterborne pathogens. These problems include, but are not limited to: sample carryovercontamination, difficulty in detecting potentially viable agents, and the difficulty in optimizingan assay to detect more than 1 pathogen or gene target per reaction. Gene chip technology isnow being widely reported as the solution for overcoming some of these shortfalls. The authors'research that is presented in this paper highlights both the benefits and drawbacks of using thisrelatively new molecular biology technique. It concludes with several recommendations on howthis method might be improved so that it becomes a more robust assay system in terms ofspeed, specificity and sensitivity and easier for end users to perform. Includes 17 references, figures.

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Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 11/15/2004 Number of Pages: 7File Size: 1 file , 1 MB