Unfortunately, both people and animals sometimes get sick and have to take certain tests. And if everything is clear with general analyzes, then with modern methods of laboratory diagnostics, everything is much more complicated - all studies are encrypted in strange abbreviations. One of the most popular tests is PCR. So what is it?
PCR - polymerase chain reaction - is a laboratory diagnostic method that determines the DNA regions of the pathogen in the test material. Moreover, the material can be any tissue or secret that may contain the pathogen.
It is advisable to take samples from the most likely locations of the pathogen. So, most often, blood, sputum, saliva and urine are studied, as well as smears and scrapings from the mucous membranes of the conjunctiva, genitals and urethra.
What are we looking for?
This research technique is unique, as it is able to detect the genetic material of the pathogen almost immediately after infection. The accuracy of the results is 99.9%. If the analysis is carried out correctly, there can be no error, because each virus, each bacterium has its own specific genetic material, and the principle of PCR operation is based on the fact that the smallest sections of nucleic acids (of which DNA consists) are multiplied many times and it becomes possible to determine them.
Features of PCR:
- 100% specificity of the determination, because the method determines not the pathogen itself, but its DNA;
- high sensitivity of the analysis, due to which it is possible to qualitatively determine the infectious agent as soon as possible from the moment of infection, even before the appearance of the first symptoms;
- in addition to the qualitative determination of the pathogen, PCR also determines its quantity, which makes it possible to assess the adequacy of the selected therapy;
- high speed of analysis, and the technology is fully automated;
- the same sample of biological material can be used to identify different pathogens.
Using the PCR method, it is possible to identify almost any pathogen, as well as genetically modified material of the organism itself, such as, for example, mutated cancer cells. That is why this analysis is used to determine leukemia, all types of hepatitis, urinary tract infections, plague, influenza and tuberculosis, viral enteritis and severe bronchitis, as well as exotic diseases such as Marek's disease and Gumboro's disease and others. In experimental laboratories, fungal infections are also determined using this technique.
Method prospects
PCR studies have very great prospects, because this is the only analysis that quickly determines the viral load in a sample (usually in blood), which allows prescribing the most effective treatment, as well as assessing the quality of the therapy performed. In addition, the possibility of using this method is very extensive: it can be used to examine both domestic and wild animals, as well as birds.
