The use of reverse transcription (RT) followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
to detect HIV-1 RNA in serum was first described in 1988 [
[1]
]. Using plasma-associated HIV-1 RNA (viral load) as a surrogate marker in clinical
practice was first introduced in the mid-1990s, with multiple reports describing plasma
viral load quantification and the relationship of copy number to stage of HIV disease
and response to antiretroviral therapy. Concurrently, three different methods to quantify
viral load were being developed, resulting in the first United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)–approved RT-PCR–based assay for determining prognosis and monitoring
antiretroviral therapy in 1997, and the approval of an ultrasensitive version in 1999.
More recently, in November 2001, the United States FDA approved a nucleic acid sequence-based
amplification (NASBA) test for quantifying HIV-1 in human plasma.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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