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Report of the NIH Panel To Define Principles of Therapy of HIV Infection

Table: Characteristics of plasma HIV RNA assays*

From U.S. National Institutes of Health

April 24, 1998

Assay
Linear dynamic range†
(copies/mL)
Observed intra-assay
(copies/mL) standard
deviation range (log10)§
Preferred
anticoagulant
RT-PCR
4 x 102 - 105.2
<0.15 - 0.33
ACD/EDTA**
bDNA††
5 x 102 - 1.6 x 106
0.08 - 0.2
EDTA**
NASBA®§§
4 x 102 - 4 x 107
0.13 - 0.23
ACD/EDTA/HEP**
 
* More sensitive versions of each of these assays (detection limits 20-100 HIV RNA copies/mL) are currently in development and will likely be commercially available in the future.

† Higher values can be measured with dilution of the specimen into the linear dynamic range for each assay.

§ Ranges are representative of those obtained in comparative analyses of plasma HIV RNA assays.(44-46) Plasma HIV RNA assays tend to be more variable at or near the limit of quantitation. Thus, the significance of changes in HIV RNA levels at the lowest levels of quantitation for a given assay should be evaluated in light of this increased variability.

¶ Amplicor HIV Monitor™ assay (Roche Molecular Systems, Alameda, CA).

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** ACD = acid citrate dextran (citrate; yellow-top tube); EDTA = ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (purple-top tube); HEP = heparin (green-top tube).

†† Quantiplex™ HIV RNA bDNA assay (Chiron Diagnostics, Emeryville, CA).

§§ NucliSens™ HIV-1 QT assay (Organon Teknika, Boxtel, The Netherlands).


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This article was provided by U.S. National Institutes of Health.
 
 

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