Annals of Clinical Microbiology, The official Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology

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Indexed in KCI, KoreaMed, Synapse, DOAJ
Open Access, Peer Reviewed
pISSN 2288-0585 eISSN 2288-6850
Original article

Evaluation of a Quantitative RealArt HBV LC PCR Assay for Hepatitis B Virus by Real-time PCR

Ji-Hyun Cho1,2,3, Hye-Soo Lee4, Key-Earn Lee1,2, Do-Sim Park1,2,3, Young-Jin Lee1,2,3, Hyung-Bae Moon2,3,5, Chang-Soo Choi2,3,6, Eun-Young Cho2,3,6, Haak-Cheoul Kim2,3,6

Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine, 5Pathology and 6Internal Medicine, 2Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science, 3Wonkwang Clinical Medicine Research Center, Wonkwang University College of Medicine, Iksan; 4Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chonbuk National University College of Medicine, Jeonju, Korea

Corresponding to Haak-Cheoul Kim, E-mail: kimpb@wonkwang.ac.kr

Ann Clin Microbiol 2007;10(1):25-31.
Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.

Abstract

Background: As oral antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis B increases, quantitation of viral load has become an essential test for HBV management, and assays using real-time PCR principles have been introduced recently.

Methods: We analysed the analytical performance (precision, linear range, and sensitivity) of RealArt HBV LC PCR Reagents (Artus GmbH, Hamburg, Germany), its correlation with COBAS AMPLICOR HBV MONITOR Test (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany), and distribution of viral load in the patients’ sera according to antiviral treatment and presence of HBeAg.

Results: Variation of intra-assay and inter-assay were 39.7% and 78.1% at 103 copies/mL of viral load, 18.1% and 73.2% at 104 copies/mL, and below 10% and below 15% between 105~109copies/mL. Linear range was with 5×103~2.3×109 copies/mL. Correlation with Amplicor was y=0.9211x+0.607 (R2=0.7801, P<0.001) and the median concentration in the patients without any treatment was 6.3×107 copies/mL (HBeAg positive) and 3.1×103copies/mL (HBeAg negative).

Conclusion: RealArt reagent using principles of real-time PCR, would be an appropriate laboratory method for HBV management. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2007;10:25-31)

Keywords

Hepatitis B virus, HBV DNA assay, Real-time PCR