Contents : CH.1: BACKGROUND. 1. Aims of this book, 2. What is pcr?, 3. What is the use of pcr?. 4. PCR and infectious diseases -the veterinary picture, 5. Laboratory diagnostic technology, 6. References. CH.2 : TRADITIONAL PCR. 1. Traditional PCR. 2. PCR reaction, 3 . PCR set up and optimization, 4. The PCR plateau effect. 5. Radioisotope-pcr based methods. 6. References. CH.3 : REAL TIME PCR. THE BASIC PRINCIPLES. 1. Traditional PCR versus real time PCR. 2. Optimising a real time pcr reaction. 3. References. CH.4 : NEW TRENDS IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF VIRAL DISEASES. 1. Background. 2. PCR methods used in routine molecular diagnostics. 3. Acknowledgements. 4. References. CH.5 : DISEASE DIAGNOSIS USING REAL-TIME PCR SPECIFIC PROCEDURES FOR IMPORTANT VETERINARY PATHOGENS. CH.6 : PCR LABORATORY SET-UP. 1. Establishment of a PCR laboratory. 2. Quality assurance programme or accreditation. 3. References. CH.7: ANALYSIS AND TROUBLESHOOTING. CH.8 : SPECIFICATIONS FOR PCR MACHINES. Glossary of terms. index.