Use of DNA microarrays in molecular typing

Abstract number: S58

Lindsay J.

Microarrays are solid supports spotted with thousands of tiny DNA probes that can be used to quickly determine which genes are present in a bacterium or sample. They have caused a revolution in our understanding of bacterial population structures and how they vary and evolve, and have also helped to identify markers of virulence or epidemiology. Microarrays are also extremely valueable for developing and validating improved routine typing methods. In the typing laboratory where methods need to be cheap, rapid, accurate and reproduceable, microarrays technology is expensive and experimental. But this is changing. When printed with appropriate probes and validated, their uses are endless, and are only limited by our ability to interpret the data generated.