Abstract
Viral load quantitation has become the major prognostic marker for disease prognosis and outcome of antiretroviral therapy in the treatment of HIV-infected individuals. The three major methodologies for viral load quantitation: the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR; Amplicor™ HIV-1 Monitor Test, Roche Diagnostic Systems, Pleasanton, CA), the nucleic acid sequence-based amplification(NASBA; NucliSens™ HIV-1 QT Test, Organon Teknika, Bostel, The Netherlands); and a signal amplification methodology termed branchedchain DNA (bDNA) technique (Quantiplex™ HIV-1 RNA test, Bayer Diagnostics, Emeryville, CA) are briefly reviewed here.
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