Abstract
Viral load monitoring for hepatitis C virus (HCV) is necessary to diagnose infection and monitor response to therapy, but the tests involved are currently confined to specialist institutions. There is a need for a fast, accurate assay with limited operator input to enhance the access to viral load monitoring. We evaluated the quantification of HCV RNA in serum and plasma by the Cepheid Xpert HCV Viral Load assay in comparison to the Abbott RealTime HCV assay. Serum and plasma samples were gathered from HCV-infected individuals at four international sites. These were tested with the Xpert HCV Viral Load assay, and results were compared to quantification by the Abbott RealTime HCV assay. An external quality assessment panel of eight samples was also tested. In total, 614 samples were analyzed in the study, and the qualitative results agreed on the two platforms for 588 (95.8%) samples. Further analysis of 396 samples quantified by both tests showed strong correlation (correlation coefficient r = 0.99) across the quantifiable range, with Bland-Altman plot data showing a mean difference (±1.96 standard deviation) of 0.03 ± 0.44 log(10) IU/ml. In the external quality assessment panel, the Xpert HCV Viral Load assay results (quantified in log(10) IU per milliliter) were within 1 standard deviation of the target value for all but one sample, which was also similarly misquantified by the Abbott RealTime HCV assay. The Xpert HCV Viral Load assay performs well compared to a market-leading HCV viral load test and should be considered for instances where rapid near-to-patient testing is required.