Real-time quantitative PCR in parasitology

Standard techniques for counting parasites are often time-consuming, difficult and inaccurate, and occasionally unpleasant. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction has recently been applied to parasitology, specifically Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Leishmania and Neospora. These techniques are t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in parasitology 2002-08, Vol.18 (8), p.338-342
Main Authors: Bell, Andrew S., Ranford-Cartwright, Lisa C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects and techniques
hybridization probes
hydrolysis probes
Protozoa
quantitative PCR
real time
SYBR Green I
TaqMan probes
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Summary:Standard techniques for counting parasites are often time-consuming, difficult and inaccurate, and occasionally unpleasant. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction has recently been applied to parasitology, specifically Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Leishmania and Neospora. These techniques are truly quantitative, give results over a range of 6–7 orders of magnitude, are quick to perform and require no manipulations post-amplification. They can be used to count genome numbers and to study levels of gene expression. The advantages and limitations of existing thermocyclers and applicable detection systems are discussed here, and promising new developments are highlighted. New methods for quantification of parasites, and for measuring levels of gene expression, are described and their application in parasitology advocated.
ISSN:1471-4922
1471-5007
DOI:10.1016/S1471-4922(02)02331-0