Comparison of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction with three other assays for quantitation of hepatitis C virus.
OBJECTIVE
Evaluation of serum levels of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is important for predicting the response to interferon treatment and monitoring its therapeutic efficacy. The aim of this study was to evaluate real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a method for the measurement of HCV-RNA.


METHODS
The subjects were 50 patients with chronic hepatitis C: 36 with genotype 1b, eight with genotype 2a, and six with genotype 2b. Samples were tested for HCV-RNA by using real-time quantitative PCR with the ABI Prism 7700 sequence detection system, a branched DNA signal amplification assay, and an Amplicor monitor test; and for HCV core protein by using a fluorescent enzyme immunoassay.


RESULTS
The detection range of the real-time quantitative PCR was between 10(1)-10(8) copies/mL of HCV-RNA. Hepatitis C virus RNA was detectable in all 50 samples by the use of real-time quantitative PCR, but was undetectable in 14 samples by the use of a branched DNA assay and in two samples by using the Amplicor monitor test; HCV core protein was undetectable in three samples. A significant correlation was found between the results of real-time quantitative PCR and those of the three other assays: branched DNA assay (r = 0.837, P < 0.0001), Amplicor monitor test (r = 0.853, P < 0.0001), and HCV core protein concentrations (r = 0.549, P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results showed that the real-time quantitative PCR was a highly sensitive assay for the measurement of HCV-RNA.
Enomoto
M
M
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan.
Nishiguchi
S
S
Shiomi
S
S
Tanaka
M
M
Fukuda
K
K
Ueda
T
T
Tamori
A
A
Habu
D
D
Takeda
T
T
Yano
Y
Y
Otani
S
S
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D012367:RNA, Viral