GENERIC HIV Charge Virale
Measuring viral load of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) makes a valuable tool for the aftercare of HIV-1 patients on antiretroviral therapy. Its regular follow-up care allows to estimate precisely the success or the failure of a treatment and to alert to the development of resistance. The threshold value which is currently defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 1000 copies/mL.
Moreover, the awareness of the viral load by the patient contributes to a better compliance with the treatment.
Latest WHO directives recommend to take anti-retrovirals as soon as possible from the identification of seropositivity, whatever the rate of CD4 which gives information about the state of the system is.
GENERIC HIV Charge Virale test is a quantification tool of viral load regarding HIV-1 in contaminated patients under treatment or not. This test relies on two main technical stages:
1. Retroviral RNA extraction using automated method
2. Amplification by real-time PCR of RNA extract
Features
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Targeted region located at the level of LTR genomic sequences (Long Terminal Repeat)
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Detection limit: 390 copies/mL for a 250 µL sample
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Special features: HIV-1 M Group, subtype A to H
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Linearity: 200 at 5 x 10E6 copies/mL
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Duration: 3 hours (extraction + amplification)
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Type of sample: plasma taken from anticoagulants (EDTA or citrate sodium)