Accuracy of a commercial real-time polymerase chain reaction-based system for measurement of HIV RNA levels around the limit of quantification of the assay.

摘要

To the Editor-Assays for quantification of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA level based on real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) recently became commercially available. These new assays are very precise and have a wider linear range and a lower detection limit than do PCR- or branched DNA-based assays. Thus, clinicians have been attracted to the utility of these assays in clinical practice and for experimental trials.