Evaluation of two TaqMan PCR assays for the detection of HIV-1 proviral DNA in blood samples

This study compared two published TaqMan PCR assays targeting different regions of the HIV-1 genome for detection of HIV-1 proviral DNA. The gag specific PCR demonstrated a lower sensitivity than the assay targeting the LTR region. The LTR assay is a highly reproducible and specific technique for HIV-1 proviral DNA detection.