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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 2008, p. 3880-3891, Vol. 46, No. 12
0095-1137/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.00755-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Differences between Two Real-Time PCR-Based Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Assays (RealTime HCV and Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan) and One Signal Amplification Assay (Versant HCV RNA 3.0) for RNA Detection and Quantification{triangledown}

Johannes Vermehren,1 Annika Kau,1 Barbara C. Gärtner,2 Reinhild Göbel,3 Stefan Zeuzem,1 and Christoph Sarrazin1*

Zentrum der Inneren Medizin, Medizinische Klinik 1, Klinikum der J. W. Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany,1 Institut für Virologie, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar, Germany,2 Klinik für Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar, Germany3

Received 21 April 2008/ Returned for modification 26 June 2008/ Accepted 5 September 2008

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA detection and quantification are the key diagnostic tools for the management of hepatitis C. Commercially available HCV RNA assays are calibrated to the HCV genotype 1 (gt1)-based WHO standard. Significant differences between assays have been reported. However, it is unknown which assay matches the WHO standard best, and little is known about the sensitivity and linear quantification of the assays for non-gt1 specimens. Two real-time reverse transcriptase PCR-based assays (RealTime HCV and Cobas Ampliprep/Cobas TaqMan HCV [CAP/CTM]) and one signal amplification-based assay (the Versant HCV RNA, version 3.0, branched DNA [bDNA] assay) were compared for their abilities to quantify HCV RNA in clinical specimens (n = 65) harboring HCV isolates of gt1 to g5. The mean differences in the amounts detected by RealTime HCV in comparison to those detected by the bDNA assay and CAP/CTM were –0.02 and 0.72 log10 IU/ml HCV RNA, respectively, for gt1; –0.22 and 0.03 log10 IU/ml HCV RNA, respectively, for gt2; –0.27 and –0.22 log10 IU/ml HCV RNA, respectively, for gt3; –0.19 and –1.27 log10 IU/ml HCV RNA, respectively, for gt4; and –0.03 and 0.09 log10 IU/ml HCV RNA, respectively, for gt5. The lower limits of detection for RealTime HCV and CAP/CTM were 16.8 and 10.3 IU/ml, respectively, for the WHO standard and in the range of 4.7 to 9.0 and 3.4 to 44.4 IU/ml, respectively, for clinical specimens harboring gt1 to gt6. Direct comparison of the two assays with samples of the WHO standard (code 96/798) with high titers yielded slightly smaller amounts by RealTime HCV (–0.2 log10 at 1,500 IU/ml and –0.3 log10 at 25,000 IU/ml) and larger amounts by CAP/CTM (0.3 log10 at 1,500 IU/ml and 0.2 log10 at 25,000 IU/ml). Finally, all three tests were linear between 4.0 x 103 and 1.0 x 106 IU/ml (correlation coefficient, ≥0.99). In conclusion, the real-time PCR based assays sensitively detected all genotypes and showed comparable linearities for the quantification of HCV RNA, with the exception of gt1 and gt4. The previously reported differences in the absolute quantification of samples harboring gt1 were confirmed and may be explained by different calibrations to the WHO standard.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Medizinische Klinik 1, Klinikum der J. W. Goethe-Universität, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, Frankfurt am Main 60590, Germany. Phone: 49-69-6301-5122. Fax: 49-69-6301-6448. E-mail: sarrazin{at}em.uni-frankfurt.de

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 17 September 2008.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 2008, p. 3880-3891, Vol. 46, No. 12
0095-1137/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.00755-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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