US Patent 7914982 Methods for detecting pathogen specific nucleic acids in urine

The invention is based upon the discovery that small nucleic acids from non-viral pathogens are able to cross the kidney and are present in urine of a subject when the subject is infected with the non-viral pathogen. These transrenal DNAs are especially prevalent at smaller sizes under about 300 bp. Thus the invention provides compositions and methods for the diagnosis of infection of a subject with non-viral pathogens through the detection of transrenal nucleic acids from those pathogens in the urine of the subject.