Ultrasensitive genotypic detection of antiviral resistance in hepatitis B virus clinical isolates.

ABSTRACT: Amino acid substitutions that confer reduced susceptibility to antivirals arise spontaneously through error-prone viral polymerases and are selected as a result of antiviral therapy. Resistance substitutions first emerge in a fraction of the circulating virus population, below the limit of detection by nucleotide sequencing of either the population or limited sets of cloned isolates. These variants can expand under drug pressure to dominate the circulating virus population. To enhance detection of these viruses in clinical samples, we established a highly sensitive quantitative, real-time allele-specific PCR assay for hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA. Sensitivity was accomplished using a high-fidelity DNA polymerase and oligonucleotide primers containing locked nucleic acid bases. Quantitative

SUBMITTER: Fang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2704686 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature