Identification of bacteria by amplification and probing

A method for identifying bacteria in a sample is described which comprises amplifying a portion of the 23S rDNA present in the sample using, as one primer, a degenerate primer set comprising one or more DNA molecules consisting essentially of DNA having the sequence(s) 5′GCGATTTCYGAAYGGGGRAACCC (SEQ ID NO: 1), the other primer consisting of DNA having the sequence 5′TTCGCCTTTCCCTCACGGTACT (SEQ ID NO: 2) and testing the resulting amplicon by hybridization to one or more oligonucleotide probes designed to identify one or more bacteria likely to be present in the sample. The method allows for the identification of at least 8 and considerably more bacterial species in a single test, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococeus spp., Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., Proteus spp., Pneumococci, and coagulase-negative Staphylococci. One or more novel oligonucleotides for use in this test are immobilized on a solid carrier and incorporated in a diagnostic test kit for use in hospitals and other environments.