Abstract: Objective To establish diagnositic methods for pathogenic molds using PCR-RFLP and multiplex PCR.Methods A PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism method was developed.ITS region of molds was amplified with universal fungal primers,and for RFLP analysis with restriction enzyme.Mutiplex PCR with 4 primer pairs was used to detect 1 template and 2 or 3 template mixtures.Sensitivity and specificity of multiplex PCR were measured.Results PCR-RFLP clearly differentiated the pathogenic molds.Multiplex PCR could amplify the corresponding 1,2 or 3 DNA fragments.Five molds were identified through distinct amplicons.Conclusions PCR-RFLP and multiplex PCR are rapid methods for the identification of pathogenic molds.

Key words: mold, PCR-RFLP, multiplex PCR, molecular identification