What is PCR and how is it done?
This pandemic is leading us to adopt a series of technicalities that are already part of our day-to-day vocabulary. COVID-19, close contact, confinement, isolation, serological tests and a long etcetera. But the most named from this new wave is the famous PCR.
Do we know what PCR means? Well, the vast majority surely does not, and as always, we have adopted an anglicism: Polymerase Chain Reaction or Polymerase Chain Reaction. In conclusion: it is a diagnostic test that allows detecting a fragment of the genetic material of a pathogen.
Let's see how we explain this? Simply, this test locates and multiplies a fragment of the virus's genetic material, in this case SARS-CoV-2. It is a very specific test that specifically detects the virus and distinguishes it from others that may be nearby. It is highly sensitive, and even though we have very little genetic material, it tells us that there are viruses. In addition, it is a technique that detects the infection from the beginning.
A historical fact, do we know that PCR received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993? Well, probably not either, but we have to say that it is one of the most important scientific advances of the 20th century, being a quick and easy way to create unlimited copies of DNA from a single original strand. Millions of copies of a section of DNA are created in just a few hours. The copied DNA can be reliably used in a wide variety of tests to diagnose and monitor diseases or for basic molecular biology research. His father was the American biochemist Kary Mullis.
Well now we just have to know how to do a PCR in Fraternidad-Muprespa? And although words always help us to describe any procedure, here we apply the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words." We leave you a video where we explain what you are going to find when you undergo a PCR.
Will it be negative, will it be positive? The best thing is that it is always negative, because we have taken extreme precautions, we wear the mask, we use hydroalcoholic gel or we wash our hands often and, of course, we keep a safe distance.
