Abstract
Classical methods (morphological, immunomorphological, virological, and serological) such as microscopic analysis, virus culture, western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are used to diagnose Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections. All the above methods are time-consuming and unusable for quick and accurate diagnosis of EBV, and the low sensitivity of these methods sometimes causes a delay in the start of treatment. Rapid development steps in molecular biology techniques have profoundly affected the detection of viral agents. Molecular methods can be classified into three main groups: (1) target amplification methods, (2) probe amplification methods, and (3) signal amplification methods. The most considerable and practical group of techniques is target amplification methods. In this category, valuable and important techniques include polymerase chain reaction (PCR), multiplex PCR, reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), nested PCR, immuno-PCR, real-time PCR, nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). In nucleic acid amplification systems in laboratory conditions, the target molecule is replicated in large numbers using enzymes to the extent that the product can be revealed by methods such as gel electrophoresis. The first and perhaps the most important and best system in which the target molecule increases in number is the PCR technique. In terms of scientific principles, this technique is very similar to DNA replication and is derived from it.