title: Molecular diagnosis of infectious diseases in dermatology.
abstract: The molecular diagnosis of infectious disease has been growing considerably over the past decade. Nucleic acid amplification techniques, such as polymerase chain reaction, ligase chain reaction, transcription-mediated amplification, and nucleic acid sequence-based amplification, provide highly accurate diagnosis of numerous bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections involved in a variety of dermatologic diseases. In addition, signal amplification with hybrid capture, branched-DNA assays, and in situ hybridization have been used to detect numerous viral pathogens with high degrees of sensitivity and specificity. New technology that involves the use of DNA and protein microarrays has also enabled the detection of a variety of genes and gene mutations. With time, these diagnostic assays are decreasing in cost, gaining approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and becoming easier and more efficient to use. In the future, these assays will be able to deliver rapid and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases within a single clinic visit.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  At the completion of this learning activity, participants should be familiar with molecular diagnosis of infectious diseases in dermatology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Center for Clinical Studies, Houston, TX 77058, USA.
authors.forename: Karan K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Sra
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rady
authors.forename: T Kley
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: Stephen K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Tyring
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003880:Dermatology / Q000379:methods; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005544:Forecasting; D005658:Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000639:trends; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification