A rapid real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction for hepatitis B virus

Quantification of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in serum is important for monitoring treatment. A rapid and cost effective alternative to the methods available currently was developed based on a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) done in the LightCycler ™ apparatus. Primers and a probe for sequences of the surface gene of HBV were designed and quantification achieved by reference to standards containing known concentrations of the target sequence. A single copy of the HBV genome could be detected if present in the reaction mixture. The quantitative range of the assay was from 4×10 2 to 1.3×10 10 surface gene copies/ml serum. Nested PCR was required for quantification in the lower part of this range (