Molecular Microbiology Laboratory

The first PCR tests were carried out in a laboratory of about 30 m2 built on the 1st floor of the old faculty building and was then assigned to the routine patient service of the hospital.

Molecular diagnostic methods that have evolved over the years have also taken their place in our laboratory and are actively used for routine clinical diagnosis and research.

The molecular microbiology laboratory has the latest diagnostic methods in use today: Nucleic Acid Amplification Methods: In-house PCR, Real Time PCR, Multiplex PCR Molecular Typing Methods: Ap-PCR, Restriction Fragment Analysis, Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE), MLST DNA sequencing

Mass Spectrometer: Maldi Tof MS system Apart from this, our molecular microbiology laboratory also has a tuberculosis diagnosis laboratory which has been accepted by the Ministry of Health as a reference laboratory.

In-House PCR and Nested PCR: This method, developed based on a polymerized chain reaction, uses DNA primes designed for specific regions of the DNA or RNA molecules of microbes to replicate a specific region in the genome of a microorganism in a laboratory setting and demonstrate the resulting product by electrophoresis in agarous gel.

These processes are being carried out in computer-controlled environments where the DNA region of the targeted microorganism can be detected by sensing the resulting radiation at certain wavelengths and converted to numerical values.

In some infections, such as meningitis, the spectrum of pathogens is quite narrow, and there are PCR methods that have been developed using special DNA primers designed for multiple pathogens.

AP-PCR is a nucleic amplification-based genotyping method that uses primes selected for specific areas of bacteria's DNA to generate DNA fingerprints of the tested agent and to reveal the genetic affinity of the isolates, especially in cases such as hospital outbreaks.

Once a target DNA region of a microbiome is replicated by PCR, this product is cut off by restriction endonuclease enzymes and isolated by electrophoresis in agarous gel, so the identity of the agent can be fully determined.

This method is the reference method in modern genotyping methods. It is an electrophoresis application made after all the DNA molecule restriction enzymes of bacteria or fungi have been cut from specific segments.

This method involves deciphering the basic sequence of DNA molecules in the cell so that microbes can be identified in the most precise manner possible, as well as detecting mutations in DNA and subsequently acquired nucleic acid variants such as antibiotic resistance genes.

Maldi Tof MS system: Maldi Tof MS is a new method that has been used in routine microbiology laboratories since 2009 for the purpose of identifying microorganisms. In this method, proteins belonging to bacterial and fungal cells are ionized and separated by molecular masses and the obtained protein spectrum (2000- 20000 Dalton) is compared to the existing reference spectrum to distinguish the sex and type of the microorganism being tested.

Thus, about 1040 different bacteria, yeasts and fungi have been shown to be identifiable with this system in minutes, and for this the IVD and CE certifications have been completed.

With the work done, some manufacturers have developed software that can show the proximity between microorganisms in a similar way to genotypic typing by integrating it into the Maldi Tof MS system. Thus, in the event of an epidemic, it has become possible to determine in a short time whether the bacterium or manate is an epidemic strain.