The use of molecular fingerprinting techniques in environmental hygiene

The analysis of epidemiological pathways for the transmission of pathogens via the environment is a fundamental task in the field of environmental hygiene. The task demands for a precise differentiation between isolates. This can be done by sophisticated techniques for differentiation which are based on phenotypic or genotypic features. The fingerprinting of DNA is a powerful tool in this context. A survey is given for different kinds of RFLP-analysis, plasmid profiling, and PCR fingerprinting as well regarding their principles, methodical variations and published applications. Notable limitations of the applications are also discussed.