title: Evaluation of an automated sample preparation protocol for quantitative detection of hepatitis C virus RNA.
abstract: The COBAS AMPLIPREP instrument for automated sample preparation has recently been introduced. In this study, the COBAS AMPLIPREP/COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR test, which includes this new molecular device, was evaluated and compared to the COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR test, which includes a manual extraction protocol. Interassay and intra-assay variation, precision, and linearity were determined, and a total of 130 clinical specimens were investigated. For determination of interassay variation, coefficients of variation were found to be between 9 and 59% for the COBAS AMPLIPREP/COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR test and between 13 and 69% for the COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR test. For determination of intra-assay variation, coefficients of variation were found to be between 7 and 13% for the COBAS AMPLIPREP/COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR test and between 8 and 16% for the COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR test. When precision of the COBAS AMPLIPREP/COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR test was tested, all results were found to be within +/-0.5 log of the expected results. Determination of linearity resulted in a quasilinear curve over 3 logs. When clinical samples were tested with the COBAS AMPLIPREP/COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR test and compared with the COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR test, all results were found within +/-0.5 log. In conclusion, the assay, which included the new molecular device, proved to be suitable for the routine molecular laboratory. It was found to be laborsaving and easy to handle.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Institute of Hygiene, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, A-8010 Graz.
authors.forename: Evelyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stelzl
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kormann-Klement
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Daghofer
authors.forename: Brigitte I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Santner
authors.forename: Egon
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marth
authors.forename: Harald H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kessler
mesh_terms: D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic