Viral Load Assays
The viral load assay is used to monitor the status of HIV disease, in conjunction with the CD4 count and physical disease progression. It is also used to guide therapy and to predict the progression of HIV. A viral load is conducted when a patient is first diagnosed with HIV, at the start of therapy or when a therapy is changed and regularly thereafter to monitor any changes. With effective therapy, viral loads typically decrease within 3-6 months. When a patient has <25 copies of virus they are said to be virally suppressed. Evidence shows that keeping the viral load levels as low as possible for as long as possible decreases the complications of HIV disease.
There are several methods for testing viral load; results are not interchangeable so it is important that the same method be used each time.
The 5 methods for testing Viral Load are:
a) Roche Amplicor
b) Versant Branched DNA
c) Roche COBAS taqman
d) Nuclisens
e) Abbot HIV real-time quantification
