Description:
This invention pertains to nucleic acid-based assays for the detection of
Aspergillus and other filamentous fungi. Assays cover the species-specific detection and diagnosis of infection by
Aspergillus,
Fusarium,
Mucor,
Penecillium,
Rhizomucor,
Absidia,
Cunninghamella,
Pseudallescheria or
Sporthrix in a subject. This can reduce identification time from several days by conventional culture methods to a matter of hours. Furthermore, genus-specific probes are also provided for
Aspergillus,
Fusarium and
Mucor, in addition to an "all-fungus" nucleic acid probe. This technology is readily adaptable as kits used for species-specific identification of opportunistic pathogen infections or possible work/home contamination.