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Updated: May 17, 2026
High-throughput Detection of Respiratory Pathogens in Animal Specimens by Nanoscale PCR
Published on: November 28, 2016
Short-term stability of pathogen-specific nucleic acid targets in clinical samples
Mohammad R Hasan1, Rusung Tan, Ghada N Al-Rawahi
1Division of Microbiology, Virology and Infection Control, Department of Pathology, Children's and Women's Health Centre of BC, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Rubayet.Hasan@cw.bc.ca
Abstract:
The stability of pathogen-specific DNA or RNA amplification targets in clinical samples following short-term storage at room temperature, 4°C, and -80°C was assessed by real-time PCR. In purified nucleic acid extracts, both DNA and RNA targets were stable for up to 30 days, irrespective of storage temperature. In unextracted samples, temperature-dependent loss of targets (P < 0.05) was observed in serum and cerebrospinal fluid specimens, while no changes were observed for EDTA blood samples.
