Description
HIV-1 DNA is an innovative and widely used marker of HIV persistence in infected cells. It is known that HIV-1 DNA levels vary among patients according to the stages of HIV disease and the effectiveness of anti-HIV therapy. Total HIV-1 DNA includes an overall quantification of all viral forms of HIV DNA in infected cells, each playing a different role in HIV replication and pathophysiology, monitoring the number of infected cells in a latent or productive state. The kit provides PCR mix that offers robust and consistent performances even in presence of PCR inhibitors and a stringent automatic hot-start, allowing reaction assembly and temporary storage at room temperature prior to PCR amplification. The ready-to-use duplex real-time PCR mix is specific for the amplification of both HIV-1 DNA and the endogenous reference human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase gene (hTERT), required for relative quantification of HIV-1 copy number. Moreover the kit includes a ready-to-use standard curve with 5 levels of HIV-1 copies and cell content. QUANTITATIVE TEST – Monitor the HIV-1 reservoirs and study of the relationship between the amount of HIV DNA and residual viremia in patients treated with ART and during changes of the therapy; monitor of the infection in aviremic patients, for whom the amount of proviral DNA is the only quantifiable parameter; QUALITATIVE TEST – Diagnosis and follow-up of the first 18-24 months of life of children born from HIV-positive mothers.
