Abstract: The invention relates to the diagnosis of disease or the determination of functioning of cellular organisms, being of multi-cellular or unicellular nature, being visible by the naked eye or being a microorganism. The invention provides a method for determining functioning of a cellular organism comprising determining the relative ratio of a first endosymbiont cellular organelle nucleic acid and/or gene product thereof in a sample obtained from the organism in relation to the amount of a second nucleic acid and/or gene product thereof.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for reducing background in hybridization reactions of nucleic acids involving at least two homologous probes, wherein at least one of the probes is non-linear, or two homologous target sequences and a non-linear probe. Background is reduced by introducing an intended mismatch with a target sequence in at least one of the probes. The presence of the mismatch reduces the specificity of probes not entirely complementary to a target sequence to such an extent that the background signal is reduced. A set of mixed homologous probes, wherein at least one of the probes is non-linear, comprising such specific mismatch is also provided. The set can be used for the detection of variants of a family of nucleic acids, for instance a number of HIV variants. The invention also provides kits for carrying out the methods according to the invention.

Abstract: The invention relates to the diagnosis of disease or the determination of functioning of cellular organisms, being of multi-cellular or unicellular nature, being visible by the naked eye or being a microorganism. The invention provides a method for determining functioning of a cellular organism comprising determining the relative ratio of a first endosymbiont cellular organelle nucleic acid and/or gene product thereof in a sample obtained from said organism in relation to the amount of a second nucleic acid and/or gene product thereof.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for reducing background in hybridization reactions of nucleic acids involving at least two homologous probes, wherein at least one of the probes is non-linear, or two homologous target sequences and a non-linear probe. Background is reduced by introducing an intended mismatch with a target sequence in at least one of the probes. The presence of the mismatch reduces the specificity of probes not entirely complementary to a target sequence to such an extent that the background signal is reduced. A set of mixed homologous probes, wherein at least one of the probes is non-linear, comprising such specific mismatch is also provided. The set can be used for the detection of variants of a family of nucleic acids, for instance a number of HIV variants. The invention also provides kits for carrying out the methods according to the invention.