Although the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) is the most conserved region of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome, it has been suggested that interrogation of this region is sufficient for determination of the HCV genotype. We compared two methods of determination of the HCV genotype: (i) direct sequencing of the DNA of the NS-5b region and (ii) reverse line probe assay (LiPA; INNO-LiPA HCV II; I...

BACKGROUND Accurate and personalized molecular virological diagnosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is crucial for individualized selection of patients for antiviral therapy in Romania. OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate HBV mutations in Romanian patients with chronic HBV infection, also to match HBV genotypes with HBV mutations identified and clinical outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS T...

BACKGROUND Anal cancer has become one of the most common non-AIDS-defined tumors among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-positive (HIV+) individuals, and a rise in its incidence among HIV+ Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) has been shown, despite the introduction of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART). Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections are highly prevalent among HIV+ MSM and recent studi...

The use of a single broad-spectrum human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA-based PCR test may fail to detect lower concentrations of HPV DNA due to competition between different genotypes in mixed infections. To improve HPV detection by PCR, broad-spectrum and type-specific (TS) PCRs were combined, with a focus on HPV-16 and HPV-18. Cervical and cervicovaginal cell samples were obtained from 1,113 healt...

BACKGROUND External acuminata condylomata (EAC) are among the most common sexually transmitted diseases. Although it is understood that low-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes 6 and 11 are associated with EAC, there have only been a few, small, published studies reporting the genotype-specific prevalence of HPV. The objective of our study was to assess the prevalence of HPV genotypes for ...

Sera from 12 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus (HBV), on lamivudine as part of an antiretroviral therapy, were retrospectively analysed for the presence of HBV polymerase mutations by the line probe assay, INNO-LiPA HBV DR, and by the direct sequencing assay, TRUGENE HBV genotyping kit. Results at codons 180, 204 and 207 were compared for 44 samples. Full...

With the availability of more potent nucleotide/nucleoside analogues, the early detection of drug-resistant mutants of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is important for the strategic treatment of chronic hepatitis B. We studied 336 serum samples from 80 patients chronically infected with HBV who were receiving lamivudine treatment for the presence of lamivudine resistance mutations at codons 80, 173, 18...

The INNO-LiPA HBV DR v2 assay is designed to detect hepatitis B virus mutations conveying resistance to lamivudine and adefovir. Our study confirms that this assay can simultaneously detect the presence of lamivudine and adefovir resistance mutations in clinical samples, has a high degree of concordance with sequencing, and can detect mutants earlier.

We validated the implementation of the INNO-LiPA Rif.TB line probe assay, a diagnostic test for rapid detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), in Rwanda. No substantial difference was found between results obtained in Rwanda and results obtained in Belgium with the same samples. This rapid diagnostic test for MDR-TB can therefore be reliably implemented in a resource-poor setting.