Application of Gene Probe Technology to the Water Industry

Abstract

Recent advances in gene probe technology have provided the water industry with a powerful new technique for monitoring water supplies for an increasingly complex group of microbes. The basic principles of gene probe technology, including gene probe construction, labeling, hybridization, and detection, are summarized. Recent developments such as chemiluminescent detection systems and nucleic acid amplification are outlined. Environmental applications of gene probe technology to microbes of specific interest to the water industry are discussed and compared with traditional detection techniques. Finally, the potential for application of gene probe technology to the water industry is evaluated.