These tests may involve Target amplification (eg, polymerase chain reaction [PCR], reverse transcriptase-PCR [RT-PCR], strand displacement amplification, transcription amplification) Signal amplification (eg, branched DNA assays, hybrid capture) Probe amplification (eg, ligase chain reaction, cleavase-invader, cycling probes) Postamplification analysis (eg, sequencing of the amplified product, microarray analysis, and melting curve analysis, as is done in real-time PCR) Appropriate specimen collection and storage before arrival at the molecular diagnostic laboratory are critical.