Greengrass Vicki, Lohman Barbera, Morris Lisa, Plate Megan, Steele Pauline M, Walson Judd L, Crowe Suzanne M
Clinical Research Laboratory, Centre for Virology, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2009 Nov 1;52(3):387-90. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181b05f62.
Viral load (VL) is a critical marker for monitoring HIV disease progression and response to antiretroviral therapy. In resource-constrained settings, there is a need for a simple and inexpensive assay to monitor infected adults and children.
We compared versions 2 and 3 of the ExaVir Load assay, Cavidi AB (HIV RT) with the Roche, COBAS Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor assay (HIV RNA) for quantifying HIV VL.
The HIV RT version 2 assay showed good sensitivity with detection in 94% of samples with HIV RNA >1000 copies per milliliter. Adult samples were tested using HIV RT version 2 (n = 35) and version 3 (n = 23) assays with plasma volumes of 1 mL (recommended), 0.5 mL and 0.25 mL in comparison with HIV RNA. The HIV RT and HIV RNA assay results were comparable when tested using different volumes. Comparison of results from pediatric samples (n = 27), tested using 1 mL and a smaller volume by HIV RT version 2 were not significantly different.
The HIV RT assay was comparable to the HIV RNA assay with sensitivity approaching that of HIV RNA. Smaller volumes than the recommended 1 mL can be used, improving utility of this assay for pediatric monitoring.
病毒载量（VL）是监测HIV疾病进展及对抗逆转录病毒治疗反应的关键指标。在资源有限的环境中，需要一种简单且廉价的检测方法来监测受感染的成人和儿童。
我们将Cavidi AB公司的ExaVir Load检测法（HIV RT）第2版和第3版与罗氏公司的COBAS Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor检测法（HIV RNA）进行比较，以定量检测HIV病毒载量。
HIV RT第2版检测法显示出良好的灵敏度，在HIV RNA每毫升>1000拷贝的样本中，94%能检测到。使用HIV RT第2版（n = 35）和第3版（n = 23）检测法对成人样本进行检测，血浆体积分别为1 mL（推荐量）、0.5 mL和0.25 mL，并与HIV RNA检测结果进行比较。当使用不同体积的样本进行检测时，HIV RT检测法和HIV RNA检测法的结果具有可比性。对儿科样本（n = 27）使用1 mL及更小体积样本通过HIV RT第2版检测法进行检测，结果无显著差异。
HIV RT检测法与HIV RNA检测法相当，其灵敏度接近HIV RNA检测法。可以使用比推荐的1 mL更小的体积，提高该检测法在儿科监测中的实用性。
