Comparison of the QUANTIPLEX HIV-1 RNA 2.0 assay with the AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR 1.0 assay for quantitation of levels of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA in plasma of patients receiving stavudine-didanosine combination therapy.
We compared the QUANTIPLEX HIV-1 RNA 2.0 assay with the AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR 1.0 assay for quantitation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA in plasma in the Stadi trail, which evaluated a stavudine plus didanosine combination therapy in 52 patients. HIV-1 RNA baseline values measured with AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR 1.0 were significantly higher than those measured with QUANTIPLEX HIV-1 RNA 2.0, and decreases in HIV-1 RNA levels from baseline were also found to be significantly higher when measured with the AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR 1.0 assay. The frequency of HIV-1 RNA levels below the lower limit of quantitation was significantly higher with QUANTIPLEX HIV-1 RNA 2.0 than with AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR 1.0. Reanalysis of these results by an ultrasensitive procedure of AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR 1.0 or by a modified version of the test that included additional primers adapted for non-B HIV-1 clades yielded greater differences between the QUANTIPLEX HIV-1 RNA 2.0 assay and the AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR 1.0 assay. Our results indicate that a valid comparison of the virological efficacies obtained with different antiretroviral drug regimens requires the use of the same viral load quantitation procedure; further standardization between the different HIV-1 RNA quantitation kits is therefore needed.
Segondy
M
M
Department of Virology and Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Montpellier University Hospital, Montpellier, France. msegondy@worldnet.fr
Izopet
J
J
Pellegrin
I
I
Montes
B
B
Dumon
B
B
Pasquier
C
C
Peeters
M
M
Fleury
H J
HJ
Puel
J
J
Reynes
J
J
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016049:Didanosine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D018119:Stavudine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014766:Viremia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods*
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral; D018119:Stavudine; D016049:Didanosine