[PCR studies in laboratory diagnosis: problems of quality assurance]

The determination of DNA and RNA of causative agents by the nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAT) presented in the Russian laboratory diagnosis of infections solely by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have currently found the widest application in world practice and, in some cases, is a basic procedure for detecting an infectious agent, particularly in the diagnosis of infections caused by human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, cytomegalovirus, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and others. The paper presents the data available in the literature on the main reasons for false positive and false negative results in PCR studies, international and national programs for the outside quality control (OQC) of detection of causative agents for various diseases, by applying NAT. It is emphasized that the regular participation in OQC programs is likely to be useful in improving the quality of PCR studies.