Use of anticoagulants in the polymerase chain reaction

A method of performing a thermal cycling reaction comprising:

• a. mixing a sample comprising blood, serum, or plasma with i) an anticoagulant comprising arginine and ii) reagents necessary and sufficient for performing a PCR thermal cycling reaction in the sample in the presence of a target nucleic acid, and
• b. incubating the sample under thermal cycling conditions,
• wherein the anticoagulant protects the PCR thermal cycling reaction from inhibition by coagulated proteins in the sample.