Clinical Diagnostics in Medical Microbiology: From Culture-Based Methods to Molecular and Point-of-Care Platforms

This chapter systematically reviews the evolution of diagnostic methodologies in clinical microbiology, tracing the transition from conventional culture-based and phenotypic identification methods to rapid molecular diagnostics, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR), isothermal amplification, CRISPR-based detection, and whole-genome sequencing. It evaluates the diagnostic accuracy, turnaround time, and clinical utility of current and emerging platforms, with an emphasis on metagenomics-based diagnostics for culture-negative infections. The chapter also addresses implementation challenges in resource-limited settings and the integration of point-of-care diagnostics into infectious disease management pathways.