This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Le Gal, F. Articles by Gault, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Le Gal, F. Articles by Gault, E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, May 2005, p. 2363-2369, Vol. 43, No. 5
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.5.2363-2369.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Quantification of Hepatitis Delta Virus RNA in Serum by Consensus Real-Time PCR Indicates Different Patterns of Virological Response to Interferon Therapy in Chronically Infected Patients

Frédéric Le Gal,¹ Emmanuel Gordien,^1, Dissou Affolabi,^1,, Thomas Hanslik,² Chakib Alloui,¹ Paul Dény,¹ and Elyanne Gault^1*

Laboratoire de Bactériologie-Virologie-Hygiène, Hôpital Avicenne, EA3604, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris 13, Bobigny, France,¹ Départment de Médecine Interne, Hôpital Ambroise Paré, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, Université de Versailles, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France²

Received 4 November 2004/ Returned for modification 3 December 2004/ Accepted 6 January 2005

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV), in association with hepatitis B virus, is responsible for severe acute and chronic hepatitis. Treatment of the infection relies on the long-term administration of high doses of alpha interferon (IFN), and the treatment efficiency is monitored by the detection of anti-HDV immunoglobulin M and HDV genome in serum. Like the case for other chronic viral infections, HDV genome quantification in serum should be useful for the follow-up of infected patients. The aims of this study were to develop a quantitative assay for the detection of any type of HDV in serum and to evaluate the benefit of HDV RNA quantification for the follow-up of chronically infected patients receiving IFN. A real-time reverse transcription-PCR assay was developed to quantify the HDV RNA load in serum. Its efficacy was evaluated with 160 serum samples, 76 of which were collected from 11 chronically infected patients who were treated with pegylated IFN. The assay was sensitive (100 copies/ml of serum) and efficient for all HDV types, including type 3 and the recently described types 5, 6, and 7. The viral load determinations for treated patients allowed us to identify different profiles of virological responses to IFN therapy with more accuracy than that attainable with the qualitative approach. In conclusion, we have developed a quantitative HDV RNA assay for serum which is adapted to the follow-up of antiviral treatment for patients infected with any HDV type. The assay will help us to understand the natural history of HDV infection and to define guidelines for the management of chronic delta hepatitis.

Both authors contributed equally to this work.

Present address: Laboratoire de Référence des Mycobactéries, BP 817, Cotonou, Benin.