HIV DNA By PCR Testing
The PCR test detects very small amounts of a particular sequence of DNA, which contains the hereditary information of cells. For HIV diagnosis, the PCR test is used to detect genetic information inserted into the DNA of human cells by HIV.
The PCR test works by taking advantage of the fact that DNA can make a copy of itself, as it does during normal cell division. The sample being tested is treated in such a way that each piece of the DNA being tested for will double into two pieces. The treatment is repeated, and the two pieces become four, then eight, then 16, etc. After 20 or more repetitions, the DNA (if any) will have multiplied more than a million times, and then it can be detected by ordinary biochemical tests.
With PCR it is possible to amplify a single or few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating millions or more copies of the DNA piece.
PCR testing therefore allows for accurate diagnosis of underlying conditions which may not be currently clinically active but have a likely hood of developing in the future.
Benifits Of PCR Testing
The whole process of extracting genetic material and testing it with a PCR test is referred to as Nucleic Acid-amplification Testing or 'NAT'. PCR tests detect the genetic material of HIV itself, and can identify HIV in the blood within two or three weeks of infection. HIV PCR by DNA Testing has many benifits including:
