COMPARISON OF CONVENTIONAL AUTORADIOGRAPHY WITH A NEW DNA ENZYME-IMMUNOASSAY FOR THE DETECTION OF HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION AMPLIFICATION PRODUCTS

The detection of HCV-PCR amplification products by DNA enzyme immunoassay (DEIA) was compared with conventional hybridization carried out with a P-32-labelled oligonucleotide probe. The detection limit of both methods was shown to be between 100 pg and 1 ng of amplicon. All serum samples of 40 HCV-seropositive patients were positive after PCR in autoradiography, but only 38 with the DEIA technique (sensitivity 95%). There were no false-positive reactions by either method. The advantage of the DEIA method was the fast and non-radioactive detection of HCV amplicons. DEIA combines the specificity of the hybridization event with the speed of an ELISA procedure and is suitable for HCV-PCR.