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PCR analysis for 12 infections is a research method based on the use of a polymerase chain reaction, which in turn allows you to examine a patient for the presence of infectious and hereditary diseases, regardless of their stage: acute or chronic. Such an analysis can show a positive result long before the onset of symptoms of various diseases.
Benefits of PCR analysis
The procedure for diagnosing infectious processes using the PCR method is very relevant today. Among its advantages, it should be noted the detection of infectious agents without the presence of characteristic symptoms of the disease, the readiness of the results within four hours after the procedure, the maximum sensitivity to pathogens (shows a positive result even in the presence of only a few DNA molecules of a pathogenic cell).
Erroneous and false reactions are practically excluded, and in addition, the analysis allows you to identify the RNA or DNA of the infectious agent.
At the moment, the diagnostic technique is undergoing active stages of improvement, new types of PCR are emerging.
The principle of PCR
The diagnostic procedure is carried out only in the laboratory and is based on the repeated doubling of a certain section of DNA and RNA with the help of enzymes under artificial conditions. As a result, DNA and RNA amounts sufficient for visual detection are produced. In this case, only the area that satisfies the specified conditions is copied, and only if it is present in the sample under study.
Each laboratory working with this diagnostic method has a special database that allows you to accurately determine the presence of a particular infectious agent.
The number of laboratories that offer this kind of technique is increasing every day, which makes it possible to diagnose everyone. The PCR method allows not only to determine the presence of the pathogen, but also to calculate its quantitative ratio as accurately as possible.
In addition to increasing the number of copies of DNA and RNA, PCR allows other manipulations with genetic material: the introduction of mutations, the splicing of certain DNA fragments, and is widely used in biological and medical practice, for example, to establish paternity, gene cloning and isolation of new genes.
Infections that can be detected by PCR analysis
PCR analysis is actively used by gynecologists, oncologists, gastroenterologists, phthisiatricians, pulmonologists, etc. PCR analysis makes it possible to identify the causative agents of the following infectious processes:
- Helicobacter pylori infections;
- candidal infections;
- HPV and its oncogenic subspecies;
- sexually transmitted infections;
- HIV;
- herpes of the first and second type, hepatitis;
- mycobacterium tuberculosis;
- Epstein-Barr virus;
- cytomegalovirus (CMV);
- human herpes virus (HHV) type 6;
- coronavirus COVID-19.
And this is only the main part of the infections that can be determined through the use of PCR analysis.
Rules and algorithm for sampling material for analysis
In order to determine the presence of an infection in a patient that is transmitted through sexual contact, a swab / scraping from the genitals or urine is taken for examination. If the study is performed to determine infectious diseases such as hepatitis, herpes, HIV, etc., the patient’s venous blood is used. An oral swab is used to test for mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus). Sometimes cerebrospinal fluid is needed for analysis – it allows you to determine the cause of certain neurological diseases. If a newborn child has a suspicion of intrauterine infection, a piece of the placenta and a sample of amniotic fluid are taken for research. For the Covid-19 coronavirus test, a swab is taken from the nose and throat to determine the RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The results of the diagnostics are as reliable as possible, and the error is practically excluded. The reliability of the procedure directly depends on how correctly the materials were taken for analysis.
Among the most important recommendations before submitting material for analysis, it is worth noting that urine is collected in the morning in a special sterile container, blood is taken in the morning on an empty stomach. In addition, 24 hours before the procedure, it is forbidden to have sexual contact, and before passing the smear, it is necessary to carry out an act of urination two hours before the procedure. Women two days before the procedure should refuse douching and inserting a suppository into the vagina.
The results of the analysis can be ready both in four hours and in two days, everything directly depends on the diagnosed disease and the quality of the material taken for analysis.
Explanation of results
The result can be both negative and positive. A negative response demonstrates that no pathogenic pathogenic cells of the infectious type were found in the sample taken for analysis. A positive analysis indicates the presence of infectious agents in the sample provided for analysis. With a positive result of the analysis, it is necessary to choose an effective and high-quality treatment as quickly as possible.
A positive result without symptoms of the disease is an indicator of an early stage of the development of the disease or that the patient is a carrier of the infection. In relation to carriers, drug therapy is not applied, but control tests are regularly carried out to monitor the dynamics. Among such diseases are herpes and human papillomavirus infection.
If the patient is a carrier of an infectious disease, he endangers everyone around him, therefore, it is recommended to carry out therapy that will block the spread of the infection.
The results also indicate the quantitative characteristics of pathogenic cells, based on which the doctor determines the activity of the disease and selects the most effective therapeutic course. Among the most important characteristics of PCR analysis for 12 infections, it is worth noting: sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.