Abstract

FORTES, María del Pilar et al. Reacción en cadena de la Polimerasa cuantitativa en tiempo real: Un ensayo esencial para la definición y el manejo de la Hepatitis Crónica B. Gen [online]. 2007, vol.61, n.4, pp.256-258. ISSN 2477-975X.

Introduction: The great need of a reliable, reproducible, specific and highly sensitive method to detect nucleic acids (DNA/RNA), induced the development of real-time quantitative assays based on polymerase chain reaction (real time PCRq). Objective: Description and analysis of a real time PCRq assay for the definition and management of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Material and Method: Forty serum samples from known HBV carriers were investigated employing real-time PCRq by means of a Rotor-Gene 3000 system (Corbett Research,Sydney,Australia). Results: the system for realtime PCRq detects a wide range of HBV DNA sequences which could be expressed either in copies/mL or in IU/mL .Its application allows the final classification of different HBV carrier status. An illustration of its usefulness in the sequential follow-up of patients on treatment for CHB is made. Conclusion: the detection and measure of HBV DNA sequences in clinical serum samples through real-time PCRq is more sensitive and exact to define the natural history and the status of viral replication in HBV chronic carriers before, during and after treatment.

Keywords : Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction; HBV DNA; Chronic Hepatitis B.