DNA microarrays in parasitology and medical sciences

The article presents the current knowledge on the microarray technique and its applications in medical sciences and parasitology. The first part of the article is focused on the technical aspects (microarray preparation, different microarray platforms, probes preparation, hybridization and signal detection). The article also describes possible ways of proceeding during laboratory work on organism of which the genome sequence is not known or has been only partially sequenced. The second part of the review describes how microarray technique have been, or possibly will be, used for better understanding parasite life cycles and development, host-parasite relationship, comparative genomics of virulent organisms, develpoment vaccines against the most virulent parasites and host responses to infection.