Quantification of RNA in HIV type 1 subtypes D and G by NucliSens and Amplicor assays in Abidjan, Ivory Coast

We have compared the performance of the NucliSens and the standard and modified HIV Monitor assays to quantify HIV-1 RNA plasma viral load in 12 tuberculosis patients infected with HIV-1 env subtype D (n = 3) and env subtype G (n = 9) in Ivory Coast. RNA was quantified in ail nine subtype G specimens by the modified Amplicor HIV Monitor (mean, 4.6 log(10) copies/ml; range, 3.1-6.3 log(10)/ml), in seven specimens by NucliSens (mean, 4.4 log(10) copies/ml; range, 2.7-5.5 log(10) copies/ml), and in 6 specimens by the standard Amplicor HIV Monitor assay (mean, 4.2 log(10) copies/ml; range, 3.5-5.0 log(10) copies/ml). All three subtype D samples were amplified by both the modified Amplicor HIV Monitor (mean, 4.5 log(10) copies/ml; range, 3.8-5.1 log(10) copies/ml) and NucliSens (mean, 3.8 log(10) copies/ml; range, 2.8-5.0 log(10) copies/ml); two samples were quantified by the standard Amplicor HIV Monitor assay (mean, 3.0 log(10) copies/ml; range, 2.4-3.6 log(10) copies/mi). Our preliminary results suggest that the modified Amplicor HIV Monitor can accurately quantify HIV-1 RNA viral load in persons infected with subtype D and G strains.