The present invention is directed to a highly sensitive method for direct
detection of at least one specific RNA in a sample. The presence of a
specific RNA provides a positive indicator of a pathogenic agent,
contaminant, and/or normal or abnormal genes in the sample. Applications
for which the method of the invention is particularly well suited include
point-of-care disease diagnosis, detection of microbial contamination in
food and/or water supplies, and pathogen detection in biodefense.
