Department of Health and Human Services Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Fact Sheet 2020 Aug 17.
COVID-19 diagnostic testing: Overview 2021 Mar 21.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research c1998–2021. Section 6.3: Viruses: Structure, Function, and Uses. What are the differences between PCR, RT-PCR, qPCR, and RT-qPCR?. Farmingdale (NY): Enzo Life Sciences, Inc. Tests used on biopsy and cytology specimens to diagnose cancer. Minneapolis: Allina Health Nasopharyngeal culture.
Common methods include blood tests and nasal swabs.ĭuring a blood test, a health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. There are different ways to get a sample for a PCR test. Other names: polymerase chain reaction, rtPCR, reverse transcription PCR, qPCR, quantitative PCR, real-time PCR If there are pathogens in the sample, amplification will make them much easier to see. The copying process is known as amplification. PCR tests can detect disease when there is only a very small amount of pathogens in your body.ĭuring a PCR test, a small amount of genetic material in a sample is copied multiple times. Antibodies are proteins made by your immune system to attack foreign substances, such as viruses and bacteria. Other tests may miss early signs of disease because there aren't enough viruses, bacteria, or other pathogens in the sample, or your body hasn't had enough time to develop an antibody response.
Unlike many other tests, PCR tests can find evidence of disease in the earliest stages of infection. Most viruses and other pathogens contain DNA or RNA. It contains information that has been copied from DNA and is involved in making proteins.