Universal solid-phase hybridization apparatus

A low temperature method for determining the presence or absence of a nucleic acid analyte from a sample, said method comprising the steps:

• (a) binding a biotinylated capture oligonucleotide to said solid phase, wherein said solid phase is non-covalently coated with streptavidin or an avidin derivative;
• (b) contacting said capture oligonucleotide with said nucleic acid analyte under stringent hybridization conditions having a temperature of between 25° C. and 40° C. and a chaotrope concentration of at least 1 molar, wherein said capture oligonucleotide selectively hybridizes, under stringent conditions, with said analyte to form a hybridization complex;
• and
• (c) detecting the presence or absence of said hybridization complex as an indication of the presence or absence of said analyte in said sample.