The present invention is directed to a highly sensitive method for direct detection of at least one specific RNA in a sample. The presence of a specific RNA provides a positive indicator of a pathogenic agent, contaminant, and/or normal or abnormal genes in the sample. Applications for which the method of the invention is particularly well suited include point-of-care disease diagnosis, detection of microbial contamination in food and/or water supplies, and pathogen detection in biodefense.