A real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction method for hepatitis B virus in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with lamivudine

Abstract Objectives During treatment of chronic hepatitis B with lamivudine, changes in the level of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA were investigated using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method with a detection limit of 1.7 log copies/ml (50 copies/ml) to clarify its clinical significance, particularly the association between HBV DNA levels and the emergence of tyrosine-methionine-aspartate-aspartate (YMDD) mutants. Methods Twenty-four patients who had received lamivudine therapy for >1 yr were studied. HBV DNA levels were determined using transcription-mediated amplification for sera with >3.7 log genome equivalents/ml, the Roche Monitor kit for sera with ≥2.6 log copies/ml, and real-time PCR for sera with Results Pretreatment HBV DNA levels were significantly lower in the p p Conclusions The real-time PCR method is useful for predicting the emergence of YMDD mutants and the estimated time of their emergence.