Hepatitis B virus kinetics under antiviral therapy sheds light on differences in hepatitis B e antigen positive and negative infections.

Background: Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)–negative chronic hepatitis B infection has a presentation and clinical course that is divergent from that of HBeAg‐positive infection. The former usually presents with lower viral levels but faster progression to liver disease. We sought to better understand the balance between replication and the immune response against hepatitis B virus (HBV).

Dynamic range of hepatitis C virus RNA quantification with the Cobas Ampliprep-Cobas Amplicor HCV Monitor v2.0 assay.

Accurate quantification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA is needed in clinical practice to decide whether to continue or stop pegylated interferon-alpha-ribavirin combination therapy at week 12 of treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis C. Currently the HCV RNA quantification assay most widely used worldwide is the Amplicor HCV Monitor v2.0 assay (Roche Molecular Systems, Pleasanton, Calif.

HIV and hepatitis C virus RNA in seronegative organ and tissue donors.

The objective of our study was to determine whether nucleic acid testing could detect HIV RNA or hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in a large series of seronegative organ and tissue donors, and whether this technique should be routinely used to improve viral safety of grafts. We studied 2236 organ donors, 636 tissue donors, and 177 cornea donors. We identified five HCV RNA-positive donors in 2119 HCV-seronegative organ donors, and one HCV RNA-positive donor in 631 HCV-seronegative tissue donors.

Multicenter quality control for the detection of hepatitis C virus RNA in seminal plasma specimens.

The discrepant results available in the literature about the presence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in seminal plasma of men chronically infected by this agent are related, at least in part, to the molecular techniques used and particularly to the wide range of protocols dedicated to RNA extraction. In order to evaluate these protocols and to standardize the method of detection of HCV RNA in this fluid, a panel of coded specimens was tested blindly in 12 French laboratories; it included 14 seminal plasma specimens and four water controls spiked with HCV RNA ranging from 10 to 20000 IU/ml and two HCV-negative seminal plasma specimens. The extraction step was performed according to methods using either silica beads (NucliSens [Organon Teknika S.