title: TaqMan RT-PCR and VERSANT HIV-1 RNA 3.0 (bDNA) assay Quantification of HIV-1 RNA viral load in breast milk.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transmission of HIV via breast milk is a primary cause of pediatric HIV infection in developing countries. Reliable methods to detect breast milk viral load are important.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To correlate the ability of the VERSANT HIV 3.0 (bDNA) assay to real-time (RT) TaqMan PCR in quantifying breast milk HIV-1 RNA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-six breast milk samples that had been spiked with cell-free HIV-1 and eight samples spiked with cell-associated HIV-1 were assayed for HIV-1 RNA by both VERSANT HIV 3.0 and TaqMan RNA assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only assays on the cell-free samples were statistically compared. Both a Deming regression slope and a Bland-Altman slope indicated a linear relationship between the two assays. TaqMan quantitations were on average 2.6 times higher than those of HIV 3.0. A linear relationship was observed between serial dilutions of spiked cell-free HIV-1 and both the VERSANT HIV 3.0 and the TaqMan RNA assays.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The two methods correlated well although the VERSANT HIV 3.0 research protocol quantified HIV-1 RNA slightly lower than TaqMan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, 140 Earl Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA. ballardk@berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Kiersten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Israel-Ballard
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ziermann
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leutenegger
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Di Canzio
authors.forename: Kimmy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Strom
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abrams
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chantry
mesh_terms: D021121:Branched DNA Signal Amplification Assay; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000821:virology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic