title: [Use of polymerase chain reaction in medical diagnosis].
abstract: Principles of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and its modifications are discussed: reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), nested PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism-PCR (RFLP-PCR). Different methods of the PCR products detection used in routine diagnostics and research are presented: electrophoresis and chromatography techniques, immunoenzymatic methods, hybridisation and sequencing. Applications of PCR reaction in diagnostics of infectious diseases (viral and bacterial), genetic diseases and genotyping in transplantation are discussed and examples of commercial tests based on PCR reaction and another molecular biology methods used in fast, routine diagnostics are listed.
authors.affiliation: Katedry Anestezjologii i Intensywnej Terapii, Collegium Medicum, Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego w Krakowie.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Swiat
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stepień
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Andres
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dziatkowiak
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002845:Chromatography / Q000379:methods; D004586:Electrophoresis / Q000379:methods; D030342:Genetic Diseases, Inborn / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000379:methods; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*