Detection of hepatitis D virus by cDNA microarray method.

BACKGROUND: Viral hepatitis is considered a major public health problem in most areas of the world. In acute and chronic infections, hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection often leads to a more severe disease. This study was designed to prepare microarrays for HDV detection. METHODS: The specific primers of PCR were designed according to the conserved region of HDV. The cDNA microarrays were prepared by spotting PCR products onto the surface of glass slides by robotics. Restriction display PCR (RD-PCR) was used to label the samples. RESULTS: Sequences were aligned, and the results showed that the products of PCR amplification were the specific gene fragments of HDV. Hybridizing signals on gene chip showed the specificity and sensitivity in detecting HDV were satisfactory. CONCLUSION: Using PCR amplified products to construct gene chips for clinical diagnosis of HDV is a quick, simple and effective method.