Description

PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is a molecular tool used increasingly in veterinary diagnostics and prognostics, and tests based on PCR are offered in many different guises. But apart from some basic preclinical vet school lectures, how much do you know about how PCR actually works, and more importantly, what information those results can really give you when used in a clinical setting.
Most of us think of PCR as a sort of “molecular photocopying” – a way to amplify small pieces of DNA or RNA present in tiny amounts in a test sample – but this webinar aims to explain in more detail how PCR works, in its different forms, and more importantly what the information you get back actually tells you in terms of managing clinical cases. It will then look at some clinical situations where PCR forms part of a wider diagnostic toolkit, for example in companion animal Mycobacterial infections.

Learning Objectives

• To review how PCR works, starting from very basic principles
• To understand the different types of PCR, including what some of the more commonly used terms mean (such as CT values)
• To explore the pros and cons of PCR testing, and understand that not all PCR tests are equally good
• To understand what pieces of information PCR can give you, and how to use those results in a clinical scenario
• Review the various forms of PCR-based tests found in clinical practice, and to use some of these as case studies to explore their further use
• To introduce options of PCR services and platforms, and future trends of PCR tests in clinics