CDC - Traditional and Molecular Techniques for the Study of Emerging Bacterial Diseases: One Laboratory’s Perspective

	EID Home \| Upcoming Issues and Ahead-of-Print Articles \| Past Issues \| EID Search \| Contact Us Volume 8, Number 2, February 2002 *Perspective* Traditional and Molecular Techniques for the Study of Emerging Bacterial Diseases: One Laboratory’s Perspective Pierre Houpikian and Didier Raoult Unité des Rickettsies, Faculté de Médecine de Marseille, Marseille, France

	Back to article Figure 1. Diagram describing the respective places of culture-, polymerase chain reaction-, serology- and histology-based approaches for the diagnosis of acute bacterial infections, according to the natural course of the disease. Isolation and culture are possible as long as live bacteria are present in tissues, i.e., from the colonization to the treatment or to the end of the clinical manifestations (or shortly earlier). Bacterial DNA can be detected during the same period and also as far as dead microorganisms remain in tissues. Specific antibodies appear during the clinical course of the disease and persist generally for months or years. Pathologic changes can be observed soon after the contamination and, in an acute infection, will decline rapidly after elimination of the bacteria.

	Home *\| Top of Page \| Current Issue \| Expedited* \| Upcoming Issue \| Past Issue \| EID Search \| Contact Us \| Accessibility \| Privacy Policy Notice \| CDC Home \| Search \| Health Topics A-Z** This page last reviewed January 22, 2002 Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal National Center for Infectious Diseases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention