The present study presents a review of the development of the fluorescent in situ hybridization technique, its basic principles, applications and perspectives in veterinary medicine. It furthermore compares the advantages and disadvantages in relation to other in situ diagnostic techniques. The FISH technique proves to be one with great potential for routine use insofar as it offers speed coupled with high sensitivity and specificity, while providing for the visualization of the infectious agent in tissue.
in situ diagnosis; probe; rRNA; fluorescence