Method Description

DNA from clinical specimens is extracted using the Roche MagNA Pure system. Toxoplasma gondii DNA is then detected by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the target sequence . The LightCycler amplifies and monitors fluorescent development of target nucleic acid after each cycle. The continuous monitoring is derived from the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) principle: a hybridization probe with a donor fluorophore on the 3' end is excited by an external light source and emits light that is absorbed by a second hybridization probe with an acceptor fluorophore at the 5' end. The acceptor fluorophore emits light of a different wavelength that can be measured with a signal that is proportional to the amount of specific PCR product. Melting temperature analysis is used following amplification for sensitive and specific detection of amplified target DNA.(Cockerill FR, Uhl FR: Applications and challenges of real-time PCR for the clinical microbiology laboratory. In: Reischl U, Wittwer C, Cockerill F, eds. Rapid Cycle Real-Time PCR, 2002; Nolte FS. Target amplification techniques. In Carroll KC, Pfaller MA, Landry ML, et al, eds. Manual of Clinical Microbiology. 12th ed. ASM Press; 2019)