Figure 1

Box plots and dots of Ct values for the 32 candidate reference genes. The box represents the values from the lower (Q1—25th percentile) to the upper quartile (Q3—75th percentile). The horizontal line inside the box represents the median. Minimum [Q1 − (1.5*IQR)] and maximum [Q3 + (1.5*IQR)] values are represented by whiskers, excluding outlier values, which are displayed as separate points (blue circles outside). The sample distribution is represented by blue circles. IQR interquartile range. The box-plot was generated using MedCalc statistical software version 19.5.1 (MedCalc Software Ltd, Ostend, Belgium; https://www.medcalc.org; 2020).