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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 07 1995, 1775-1778, Vol 33, No. 7
FS Nolte, C Thurmond and MW Fried
We compared a single-enzyme, combined reverse transcription-PCR (RT- PCR;
AMPLICOR HCV Test; Roche Molecular Systems, Branchburg, N.J.) with an
independent, two-enzyme, standard RT-PCR (SRT-PCR) assay for the detection
of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in serum and plasma. Test samples included a
proficiency testing panel consisting of 10 undiluted plasma samples, three
separate dilution series, and sera from 99 patients with chronic liver
disease. The quantity of HCV RNA in each patient serum sample was
determined by a branched DNA (bDNA) signal amplification assay (Quantiplex
HCV-RNA assay; Chiron, Emeryville, Calif.). There was complete concordance
between the results of the RT- PCR assays with the 10 undiluted plasma
samples used for proficiency testing (3 positive and 7 negative samples).
However, the analytical sensitivity of SRT-PCR was 4- to 10-fold greater
than that of the AMPLICOR test in the dilution series. HCV RNA was detected
in 44, 45, and 40 of the patient serum samples, by SRT-PCR, the AMPLICOR
test, and the bDNA assay, respectively. There was 97% agreement between the
results of the RT-PCR assays, with only three discrepancies. Review of the
patients' medical records resolved all three discrepancies in favor of the
AMPLICOR results (two false-negative SRT-PCR results and one false-positive
SRT-PCR result). The quantity of HCV RNA in sera from five (11%) patients
with viremia detected by AMPLICOR was below the bDNA assay cutoff (< 3.5
x 10(5) RNA equivalents per ml).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Copyright © 1995 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Preclinical evaluation of AMPLICOR hepatitis C virus test for detection of hepatitis C virus RNA
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
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