Today I would like to address a few issues I have discovered with the methods that have been used to test for this virus we all know as coronavirus: Covid-19. Firstly I have to admit that I am no doctor.
Although that does not exemplify the fact that I can say that I'm good at researching information.
Most coronavirus testing discussed by public officials and the media refers to polymerase chain reaction testing, better known as PCR. These tests start with a nasopharyngeal swab or a swab that goes up the nose far back into the throat. This swab collects mucous, saliva, bits of cells and — if present — viral RNA. The samples are then sent to a lab, where researchers apply chemicals to remove everything but the RNA. Enzymes are then added to transcribe the RNA into DNA. Next, this DNA is put into a real-time PCR (RT-PCR) machine along with another set of chemicals. The RT-PCR machine HEATS and cools the samples in a process that essentially Xeroxes the DNA, making thousands of copies of any genetic material in the samples.
Here is a video that shows how the approach works in action.
Sometimes called "molecular photocopying," the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a fast and inexpensive technique used to "amplify" - copy - small segments of DNA. Because significant amounts of a sample of DNA are necessary for molecular and genetic analyses, studies of isolated pieces of DNA are nearly impossible without PCR amplification.
Often heralded as one of the most important scientific advances in molecular biology, PCR revolutionized the study of DNA to such an extent that its creator, Kary B. Mullis, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1993.
Once amplified, the DNA produced by PCR can be used in many different laboratory procedures. For example, most mapping techniques in the Human Genome Project (HGP) relied on PCR.
PCR is also valuable in a number of laboratory and clinical techniques, including DNA fingerprinting, detection of bacteria or viruses (particularly AIDS), and diagnosis of genetic disorders.
To amplify a segment of DNA using PCR, the sample is first heated so the DNA denatures, or separates into two pieces of single-stranded DNA. Next, an enzyme called "Taq polymerase" synthesizes - builds - two new strands of DNA, using the original strands as templates. This process results in the duplication of the original DNA, with each of the new molecules containing one old and one new strand of DNA. Then each of these strands can be used to create two new copies, and so on, and so on. The cycle of denaturing and synthesizing new DNA is repeated as many as 30 or 40 times, leading to more than one billion exact copies of the original DNA segment.
The entire cycling process of PCR is automated and can be completed in just a few hours. It is directed by a machine called a thermocycler, which is programmed to alter the temperature of the reaction every few minutes to allow DNA denaturing and synthesis.
The Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used to "amplify" small segments of DNA, emphasis on amplifying, let us know a few things first before getting into all the issues.
The mucus layer (the main specimen in the PCR test) provides an essential first host barrier to inhaled pathogens that can prevent pathogen invasion and subsequent infection. Respiratory mucus has numerous functions and interactions, both with the host and with pathogens. One way to really look at it is, it is the first barrier your body has against pathogens you can simply inhale (e.g. coronavirus, influenza or other viruses or bacteria).
The roles of respiratory mucus are to maintain the hydration of the respiratory tract and to act as a protective barrier against the external environment by trapping particulate matter, including pathogens. The functions of respiratory mucus include immune response regulation, the presentation of molecules that are inhibitory to pathogens, the regulation of cell differentiation and proliferation and the maintenance of the barrier function of the epithelium.
According to an article [here], there are more than one coronavirus floating around.
Due to the way in which mucus in your body, in some sense, acts as a barrier for inhaled pathogens, wouldn't one realize that collecting a sample of said mucus and testing for any virus would lead to a positive? Something to consider is, just because it is there, does that mean you are sick? The answer is on its way.
If you think you don’t have viruses, think again.
It may be hard to fathom, but the human body is occupied by large collections of microorganisms, commonly referred to as our microbiome, that has evolved with us since the early days of man. Scientists have only recently begun to quantify the microbiome and discovered it is inhabited by at least 38 trillion bacteria. More intriguing, perhaps, is that bacteria are not the most abundant microbes that live in and on our bodies. That award goes to viruses.
It has been estimated that there are over 380 trillion viruses inhabiting us, a community collectively known as the human virome. But these viruses are not the dangerous ones you commonly hear about, like those that cause the flu or the common cold, or more sinister infections like Ebola or dengue.
Many of these viruses infect the bacteria that live inside you and are known as bacteriophages or phages for short. The human body is a breeding ground for phages, and despite their abundance, we have very little insight into what all they or any of the other viruses in the body are doing.
In closing, I would like to conclude, We do not see the real numbers of infections because the PCR test does not test for anything other than traces of a virus in the body. It also is highly sensitive.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based tests for various microorganisms or target DNA sequences are generally acknowledged to be highly "sensitive," yet the concept of sensitivity is ill-defined in the literature on these tests.
