| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3407329 | Journal of Virological Methods | 2010 | 5 Pages |
The implementation of cost effective HIV-1 RNA quantitation assays in resource-poor settings is of paramount importance for monitoring HV-1 infection. A study comparing the analytical performance of three HIV-1 RNA assays (Generic HIV Viral Load®, Amplicor™ v1.5 and Nuclisens EasyQ® v1.2) was performed on 160 plasma samples from 160 consecutive antiretroviral treatment naive HIV-1-infected pregnant women assessed for eligibility in the Kesho Bora trial aimed at prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 in three African countries (Burkina Faso, Kenya and South Africa). Correlation and agreement of results of the three assays were assessed for plasma HIV-1 RNA quantitation in specimens harbouring mainly sub-subtype A1, subtype C, and circulating recombinant form (CRF) 02_AG and CRF06_cpx.Good degrees of correlation and agreement were observed between these HIV-1 RNA assays. However, nine (9/160, 5.6%) strains detectable with the Generic HIV Viral Load® assay were not detected by either the Amplicor™ (n = 7) or EasyQ® (n = 2) test. One strain (0.6%) was missed with the Generic HIV Viral Load® assay. Further, concordantly positive plasma samples harbouring CRF02_AG and CRF06_cpx yielded significantly higher HIV-1 RNA concentrations when tested by Generic HIV Viral Load®, as compared to Amplicor™ v1.5 (mean differences, +0.33 and +0.67 log10 copies/ml; P = 0.0004 and P = 0.002, respectively). The Generic HIV Viral Load® assay accurately quantified the majority of the non-B HIV-1 subtypes assessed in this study. Due to its low cost (∼10 US $/test), this assay performed with open real-time PCR instruments is now used routinely in the Kesho Bora trial and may be recommended in other African settings.
