ABSTRACT
The amplification of nucleic acids, particularly by the polymerase chain reaction, has led to great advances in the molecular science of genetic diseases, oncology, and forensic medicine. Although other nucleic acid amplification methods have been described, PCR techniques are the most widely used because of their simplicity and flexibility. PCR is directly applicable in diagnostic virology due to the presence of unique sequences found in all viral genomes and the accessibility of nucleotide sequence information for many viruses. PCR has transformed nucleic acid analysis from a research tool to a clinical diagnostic discipline and has been applied to the detection of respiratory viruses in clinical samples (9,18, 37,45-49).
