Background: Measurement of Viral Load (VL) is the
most reliable mean for evaluating virological monitoring of the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. It allows determination of the amount
of virus present in a given volume. Due to the constraints of costs, the VL is
not often requested for patient’s follow-up in countries with limited
resources. Hence the objective of this study is to implement an in-house Quantitative Real-Time PCR to
assess the VL of HIV infected patients in Kinshasa. Methods: One hundred and
fifty five patients positive for HIV type 1, naive of Antiretroviral Therapy
(ART) and eligible for treatment were included in the study. Five milliliter of
blood was collected in a tube with anticoagulant. One milliliter of plasma was
sent to the laboratory for analysis. After RNA extraction, a Quantitative Real
time PCR was performed on a portion of the region of the Long Terminal Repeat
(LTR) of the virus. Results: Of 155 samples received for determination of VL by
Quantitative Real-Time PCR, 153 were successfully amplified according to the protocol.
The median VL was 301052.97 copies/ml or 5.48 log10. Conclusions:
The results of VL were used to assess the feasibility of the Real-Time Quantitative
PCR. It turns a simple, reliable and less expensive alternative for the
diagnosis and virological monitoring of HIV patients under ART.
Cite this paper
Kamangu, E. N. , Chatte, A. , Boreux, R. , Kalala, R. L. , Mvumbi, G. L. , Demol, P. , Vaira, D. and Hayette, P. M. (2014). Implementation of an In-House Quantitative Real-Time PCR for Determination of HIV Viral Load in Kinshasa. Open Access Library Journal, 1, e855. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1100855.
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