ABSTRACT
Application of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has lead to an increase in the sensitivity of detection of RT viruses (35). This is because the most common RT viruses, rhinoviruses and coronavirus, which together account for more than 50% of episodes of the common cold, are very difficult to detect using the conventional virological techniques of tissue culture and serology. PCR relies on the exponential amplification of areas of the viral genome that are specific to that virus. The reaction is designed to incorporate enough cycles to allow amplification to such an extent that products can be detected by standard gel electrophoresis or by probing with specific nucleotide probes.
