Performance Evaluation of NucliSens EasyQ HIV-1 vl.l in Combination with NucliSens miniMAG, a Novel Platform for Nucleic Acid Extraction

摘要

Performance of the NucliSens EasyQ HIV-1 vl. 1 (EasyQ vl. l) real-time HIV-1 viral load assay has been evaluated at two sites using NucliSens miniMAG (miniMAG), a new platform for semi-automated extraction. In comparison to the reference extraction method (NucliSens Extractor), a 2-fold improved sensitivity was observed with the new extraction method. Other performance characteristics of the assay, such as accurate quantification to the WHO standard over a broad linear range and an excellent detection and quantitation of all relevant HIV-1 subtypes, were similar with both extraction methods. The combination of miniMAG and EasyQ vl.l makes it possible to test up to 48 samples within 4 hours without using large and complicated equipment. This makes the system very attractive for labs that want to perform high quality and high-throughput HIV viral load testing in a cost-efficient and relatively straightforward manner.