QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF VIRAL GENOMES AND THEIR CLINICAL CORRELATIONS

这一持续的努力正在回应日益增长的对更多 精确测量任何病毒的相关基因组信息 感染。对特定病毒基因存在的了解将会 帮助确定感染源。然而，要评估...的阶段 一种疾病，以评估一种治疗的疗效，或确定 对疾病进展的预测价值，更精确和 需要对特定基因进行定量分析。这些 以前以研究为导向的问题现在可以开始在 拥有先进分子技术的常规临床实验室 生物学，如聚合酶链式反应(PCR)和测序 限制性核酸酶酶切片段的图谱。我们发起了 分子诊断技术的发展研究满足我们的需求 对乙肝病毒、丙型肝炎病毒(丙型肝炎病毒)和 艾滋病毒感染。只要有可能，我们会改进基本的聚合酶链式反应技术 变成一个半定量的过程。在过去的两年里，我们 能够使用聚合酶链式反应作为病毒感染的主要研究工具 已确认的人类肝炎病毒，HGV。我们发现这种病毒是 通过输血传播：在这两种病毒中都发现了特异性HGV RNA 受者和配对的供者血清。HGV可导致慢性感染 轻度或未观察到肝功能异常。在预赛中 研究表明，献血者中HGV的感染率高于献血者 丙型肝炎。我们还发起了一个项目，建立一个内部标准，以满足 用于RT/PCR检测丙型肝炎病毒核糖核酸。一个研究独一无二的 修复酶Mut Y的特异性及其临床应用 也是在去年发起的。我们在这个项目中的未来努力将是 继续评估新的测试方法，特别是完善 定量程序、分子的规范与应用 对血液产品进行检测。

This continuing effort is responding to the increasing demand for a more precise measurement of relevant genomic information in any viral infection. The knowledge of the presence of a specific viral gene will help in identifying the infectious agent. However, to assess the stage of a disease, to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment, or to determine the value of a predictor of the progression of a disease, a more precise and quantitative analysis of the specific gene would be required. These previously research-oriented questions can now begin to be answered in routine clinical laboratories with the advanced technology of molecular biology, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the sequencing and mapping of restriction nuclease-digested fragments. We initiated developmental research in molecular diagnostic technology to meet our clinical study needs in hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV infection. Whenever possible, we would improve the basic PCR technique to become a semi-quantitative procedure. During the last 2 years, we were able to use PCR as primary study tool for viral infection by a newly identified human hepatitis virus, HGV. We found that this virus was transmitted by blood transfusion: specific HGV RNA was identified in both recipients and paired donor sera. HGV can cause chronic infection with mild or no observed liver function abnormality. in the preliminary studies, the prevalence of HGV in blood donors was higher than that of HCV. We also initiated a project to construct an internal standard to be used in RT/PCR for determining HCV RNA. A project to study the unique specificity of the repairing enzyme Mut Y and its clinical application was also initiated during last year. Our future effort in this program will be to continue to evaluate new testing approaches, specifically, perfecting the quantitation procedures, and standardizing and applying molecular testing to blood products.