To identify an uncultured and unidentified pathogen that was often visualized in tissue sections of lesions of bacillary angiomatosis with Warthin-Starry staining, the authors utilized two different techniques that were innovative at the time: 16S ribosomal RNA analysis and PCR. This was seen as a milestone in the molecular identification of pathogens that could be "seen" but not cultured. The authors indicated in their abstract that "this bacillus may also cause cat scratch disease." They concluded that "The cause of bacillary angiomatosis is a previously uncharacterized rickettsia-like organism, closedly related to R. quintana. This method for the identification of an cultured pathogen may be applicable to other infectious diseases of unknown cause." Digital facsimile from nejm.org at this link.

(Thanks to Juan Weiss for this reference and its interpretation.)

Order of authorship in the original publication: Relman, Schmidt, MacDermott....The authors used 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing to identify the bacillus associated with Whipple's disease that had resisted culturing methods for more than 80 years. Based on its unique characteristics and its association with an illness that leads to emaciation by interferring with intestinal absorption of nutrients they named it "Tropheryma whippelii gen. nov. sp. nov."  Digital facsimile from nejm.org at this link.

(Thanks to Juan Weiss for this reference and its interpretation.)