Method for simultaneous detection and discrimination of bacterial, fungal, parasitic and viral infections of eye and central nervous system

A method for the detection of pathogens in a sample comprising the steps of:

• amplifying specific genes of the pathogens by performing multiplex PCR (polymerase chain reaction) assay using the primer set 1 ((SEQ ID NO:1) and (SEQ ID NO:2)), set 2 ((SEQ ID NO:3) and (SEQ ID NO:4)), set 3 ((SEQ ID NO:5) and (SEQ ID NO:6)), set 4 ((SEQ ID NO:7) and (SEQ ID NO:8)), set 5 ((SEQ ID NO:9) and (SEQ ID NO:10)), set 6 ((SEQ ID NO:
• 11) and (SEQ ID NO:12)), set 7 ((SEQ ID NO:13) and (SEQ ID NO:14)) and set 8 ((SEQ ID NO:15) and (SEQ ID NO:16)), set 13 ((SEQ ID NO:
• 25) and (SEQ ID NO:26)), set 16 ((SEQ ID NO:
• 31) and (SEQ ID NO:
• 32)) and set 18 ((SEQ ID NO:
• 35) and (SEQ ID NO:
• 36));
• hybridizing the amplified products (probes) to complementary DNA sequences (targets) immobilized on a solid phase matrix in a multiplex format, and detecting the hybridized products, wherein the pathogens are selected from the group consisting of Herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2, cytomegaloviruses, Varicella Zoster virus, Adenoviruses, Eubacteria, Gram positive bacteria, Gram negative bacteria, Fungi, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium chelonei, Mycobacterium fortuitum, Toxoplasma gondii and Chlamydia trachomatis.