Real-time PCR-based identification of bacterial and fungal pathogens from blood samples.

Latest major contributions in the field of sepsis diagnostics result from advances in PCR technologies permitting new standards in speed and quality, given the fact that a timely diagnosis is the decisive factor to the survival of patients with bloodstream infections.Multiplex real-time PCR is a quantitative method for simultaneous amplification and detection of different targeted DNA molecules within hours. Nevertheless, various studies have shown a number of technical shortcomings as well as a high heterogeneity in sensitivity.

Accuracy to 2nd International HIV-1 RNA WHO Standard: assessment of three generations of quantitative HIV-1 RNA nucleic acid amplification tests.

Background: Standardization of quantitative HIV-1 tests to a global primary standard is required by regulatory authorities to ensure comparability of test results across different assays and platforms of different manufacturers.

Objectives And Study Design: Three generations of quantitative HIV-1 tests, the COBAS(®) AMPLICOR(®) HIV-1 Monitor Test, v1.5 (HIV-1 Monitor test v1.

Improved HIV-1 RNA quantitation by COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Test, v2.0 using a novel dual-target approach.

Background: HIV-1 RNA viral load is a key parameter for reliable treatment monitoring of HIV-1 infection. Accurate HIV-1 RNA quantitation can be impaired by primer and probe sequence polymorphisms as a result of tremendous genetic diversity and ongoing evolution of HIV-1. A novel dual HIV-1 target amplification approach was realized in the quantitative COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Test, v2.

A multiplex real-time PCR assay for rapid detection and differentiation of 25 bacterial and fungal pathogens from whole blood samples.

Early detection of bloodstream infections (BSI) is crucial in the clinical setting. Blood culture remains the gold standard for diagnosing BSI. Molecular diagnostic tools can contribute to a more rapid diagnosis in septic patients.

Performance characteristics of a quantitative, homogeneous TaqMan RT-PCR test for HCV RNA.

We developed a homogeneous format reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay for quantitating hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA based on the TaqMan principle, in which signal is generated by cleaving a target-specific probe during amplification. The test uses two probes, one specific for HCV and one specific for an internal control, containing fluorophores with different emission spectra. Titers are calculated in international units (IU)/ml by comparing the HCV signal generated by test samples to that generated by a set of external standards.