title: Quantitative evaluation of hepatitis C virus RNA in patients with concurrent human immunodeficiency virus infections.
abstract: Quantitation of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) provides a powerful epidemiologic and therapeutic method for the evaluation of infected patients. In this study semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is compared with a new branched DNA signal amplification methodology. Samples from HCV-infected patients as well as from human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients were evaluated. Reverse transcriptase PCR correlated well with the branched DNA assay (r = 0.7036, P < 0.05). HCV RNA was found to occur at significantly higher titers (P < 0.05) in patients coinfected with the human immunodeficiency virus compared with titers in those infected with HCV alone. Immune status as defined by the CD4+ count was not associated with the observed difference in viral titer.
authors.affiliation: Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado 80045-5001.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urdea
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neuwald
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilber
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D005784:Gene Amplification; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral