an urgent problem with replicates - (Apr/03/2014 )

Hi All, 

Some of my colleagues designed a challenge experiment but they ignored the biological replicate. I have now lung, spleen from one H5N1 challenged mice. I want to measure the virus titer in these sample by qRT-PCR. 

How can I do this without need to repeat the experiment ? 

in another way, is there is any test by which I can measure the virus titer؟ 

qRT-PCR would work so long as you have some reference samples that tell you which CT corresponds to which CPEU. 

You could do it the old-fashioned way and titrate the virus by plaque assay.

Thanks, 

I have refernce samples but could u explain in details how to run the qRT-PCR here. 

My sample is stored in RNA later. Is it still duable to do the plague assay 

If they are in RNAlater then there is only a very minimal chance that they virus will still be viable.

qRT-PCR would rely on you identifying a certain gene that would tell you how many copies of the virus particle are present and then using standard dilutions to work out CT values related to the number of copies.  I don't work with influenza, so I can't give you any more detail than that.

I did qRT PCR several time. I understand what u told me about, but still no biological replicate. My question is how to make statistics in case you have only one biological sample ? 

You can at least do several tissue isolations from one animal.

But that's not a true biological replicate in such case. You can only see variations between different parts of tissue or/and isolation protocol.

But you just can't make more mice from a single one.

That is true and this my problem. Is there is any solution ?

Repeat the whole experiment with more biological replicates. Or just simply repeat it and pool both controls and affected mice (separately).

Alternativelly, find a necromancer that will summon back some of mice from dead..  

Ok, The kast solution seems the best. you could save time with answering this from the begining without need to make jokes. 

Well sorry, but I gave you IMO relevant answers in every post (yes, even in the last one). 

But I just can't help it when you ask twice how to make more mice from one..