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Comparison of two methods for quantification of hepatitis B viral DNA
Article first published online: 19 APR 2002
DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1746.1999.01885.x
1440-1746/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=21c855b1ae39a2b6adb45c61684c395c28c53e57 "Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology")
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How to Cite
Kao, J.-H., Wood, M., Chen, P.-J., Lai, M.-Y. and Chen, D.-S. (1999), Comparison of two methods for quantification of hepatitis B viral DNA. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 14: 423–426. doi: 10.1046/j.1440-1746.1999.01885.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 19 APR 2002
- Article first published online: 19 APR 2002
- Abstract
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Keywords:
- bDNA assay;
- cross-linking assay;
- hepatitis B virus;
- hepatitis B virus-DNA
Background: Quantitation of serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA has proven useful in assisting with patient management and treatment and several commercially available assays have been developed to quantify serum HBV-DNA levels.
Methods: The performance of the cross-linking assay and the branched-DNA signal amplification (bDNA) assay for the quantitative measurement of HBV-DNA was studied in 99 hepatitis B surface antigen-positive and viraemic patients.
Results: Of these samples, 82 (83%) were positive for HBV-DNA by both assays and four (4%) were below the cut-off for both assays. Of the remaining 13 samples, 10 contained measurable levels of HBV-DNA by the cross-linking assay alone and three other samples contained measurable levels of HBV-DNA by the bDNA assay alone. The sensitivity gain of the cross-linking assay relative to bDNA assay in this study population was 10/92 (11%). In addition, a linear regression analysis showed that the HBV-DNA levels obtained from both assays was significantly correlated (γ = 0.974, P < 0.0001).
Conclusions: These findings suggest that the recently developed cross-linking assay is more sensitive than the bDNA assay for the quantitative determination of HBV-DNA.