title: Detection of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum by a nonisotopic hybridization technique.
abstract: We developed a nonisotopic technique, Hepagene, for measuring hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in human serum by using a sulfonated probe that is detected by a sandwich immunoenzymatic reaction. The detection limit, determined by serum dilution tests, was 2.5 ng/L. The precision of the Hepagene test was demonstrated by the accurate reproducibility observed for low (3 ng/L) and medium (38 ng/L) concentrations of HBV DNA assayed in 24 different series. Specificity was established by assaying HBV DNA in sera from 98 patients by the Hepagene technique or by a solution hybridization assay with an 125I-labeled probe. Results by both techniques agreed for 94 sera (96%), with 68 being concordant for HBV DNA negativity and 26 for positivity. HBV DNA titers assayed by both methods also agreed. Hepagene represents the first nonisotopic HBV DNA assay involving a sulfonated probe and with performance characteristics equivalent to those of classical radioactive hybridization techniques.
authors.affiliation: Fondation de Recherche en Hormonologie, Fresnes, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akar
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bournique
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scholler
mesh_terms: D015342:DNA Probes; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D004279:DNA, Viral