Simultaneous detection of HCV and HIV-1 by SYBR Green real time multiplex RT-PCR technique in plasma samples

This paper describes the development of a SYBR Green-based multiplex real time RT-PCR for the simultaneous detection of HCV and HIV-1 genomes in plasma samples. Viral genomes were identified in the same sample by their distinctive melting temperature (Tm) which are 81.6 and 86.5 degrees C for HIV-1 gag 142 bp amplicon and HCV 5'-NCR region 226 bp amplicon, respectively. Analysis of known scalar concentrations of reference plasma indicated that the multiplex procedure detects at least 500 copies/ml of both HIV-1 and HCV. In addition, we also assayed HIV-1 and HCV viral load in 30 co-infected patients and in 15 blood donors, confirming the sensitivity and specificity of the assay. This method may represent a useful alternative method for the detection of HIV-1/HCV co-infection, reliable for a rapid and relatively inexpensive screening of blood donors.