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Comparison between serum and saliva for the detection of hepatitis A virus RNA

2007; Elsevier BV; Volume: 148; Issue: 1-2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jviromet.2007.10.020

1879-0984

Luciane Almeida Amado Leon, Lívia Melo Villar, Vanessa Salete de Paula, Ana Maria Coimbra Gaspar,

Viral Infections and Immunology Research

Due to the ease of collection, oral fluid is being investigated as an alternative to serum for diagnostic and epidemiological purposes. However, for prospective studies involving hepatitis A virus (HAV) RNA detection, a standard methodology must be developed. In the present study, nested RT-PCR and real-time PCR were optimized and evaluated for HAV detection and quantification, using oral fluid from healthy volunteers (n = 20) and paired serum/oral fluid samples from individuals involved in a hepatitis A outbreak (n = 78). Using nested RT-PCR, HAV RNA was detected in 50% of oral fluid and in 42% of serum samples from acute cases, as well as in 12% of all samples from cases without IgM and total anti-HAV. Using real-time PCR, HAV RNA was detected in 61% of oral fluid and in 71% of serum samples from acute cases, as well as in 17 and 12%, respectively, from patients without HAV markers. Mean viral loads were 1.7 ± 3.24 × 103 copies/ml in oral fluid and 2.8 ± 6.46 × 103 copies/ml in serum. Although nested RT-PCR and real-time PCR both detected HAV RNA in oral fluid, real-time PCR was more sensitive. Oral fluid sample testing could be used as a noninvasive method of detecting HAV RNA during HAV outbreaks.