EFFICIENT METHOD OF DETECTING AN INFECTIOUS AGENT IN BLOOD

摘要

The present invention provides a method for detecting the presence of a predetermined infectious agent in a human or animal subject comprising obtaining a preselected portion of a whole blood sample containing at least one intact blood cell from the subject and detecting the presence of a nucleic acid from the predetermined infectious agent in the intact blood cell by nucleic acid hybridization. The preselected portion of the blood sample can include any portion which contains at least one intact blood cell, for example a peripheral blood smear or cytospin buffy coat preparation. The intact blood cell can be any blood cell including, but not limited to white blood cells and red blood cells. In one embodiment, the blood cell is a lymphocyte.