Harmonization of PCR-based detection of intestinal pathogens: experiences from the Dutch external quality assessment scheme on molecular diagnosis of protozoa in stool samples.

Abstract

Real-time PCR methods are increasingly used in routine patient care settings not only to determine the presence or absence of pathogens in patient materials, but also to obtain semiquantitative results to estimate the pathogen load. However, it is so far unknown how well these methods are harmonized among different laboratories.