A METHOD OF DETECTING MICROORGANISMS

摘要

The present invention relates generally to a method for detecting, enumerating and/or identifying microorganisms in a sample. More particularly, the present invention provides a method for determining total microbial content in a sample by detecting the presence of nucleotide sequences associated with all or part of 16S rDNA or its corresponding 16S rRNA or its homologue, functional equivalent or derivative. The nucleotide sequences of the present invention may be used as an indicator of any microorganism and, hence, represents a universal target sequence which is indicative of total microbial content in a sample. The universal target sequence may also be varied to render same genus or species specific or the universal target used to trap microbial DNA or RNA which may be subsequently analyzed by sequence analysis or genetic probe technology. The universal target sequence is useful inter alia to design as universal primers and probes to amplify any microbial-derived genomic sequence, as a means to detect and enumerate total microorganisms and to identify microorganisms in a sample at the genus or species level. Such uses enable improved methods of enviroprotection, bioremediation, medical diagnosis and industrial microbiology. The present invention further relates to the universal target sequence in isolated form and/or primers or probes capable of hybridizing to same and kits for the detection of total microbial content in a sample.