TABLE 4.
Methods used by participating laboratories with EQA panel 1
| Characteristic | Lab 1 | Lab 2 | Lab 3 | Lab 4a | Lab 4b | Lab 5 | Lab 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction method | Boil | MagnaPurea | Boil | Boil | MagnaPurea | QIAampb | Boil |
| Target gene | IS481 | IS481 | IS481 | IS481 | IS481 | IS481 | ptxA Prc |
| Type of PCR | Single | Real time | Nested | Single | Single | Single | Single |
| No. of cycles | 40 | 50 | 30 + 30 | 33 | 33 | 30 | 35 |
| Eq. sample used for PCRd | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 30 | 10 |
a
MagnaPure (Roche Diagnostics).
b
QIAamp DNA mini kit (Qiagen).
c
ptxA Pr, pertussis toxin promoter.
d
Equivalent (Eq.) sample used for PCR (in microliters), calculated as the starting volume used for concentration and extraction × fraction of extracted volume added to the amplification mixture.