COMPARISON STUDY OF TWO PCR PROTOCOL (DIRECT AMPLIFICATION AND NESTED) FOR QULITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF HEPATITIS B VIRAL DNA

This study investigated thirty patients with chronic hepatitis B who were admitted to Hepatology and Gastroenterology Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, aged from 20-65 years during the period from beginning of February 2008 to the end of February 2009. The patients were suffering from different clinical symptoms with previous risk factors for transmission of HBV infection, also blood samples were collected from thirty healthy HBs Ag carrier was discovered accidentally through attending blood bank for donation of blood, aged from 18-52 years and served as a control group. A cross sectional study was conducted in the period between beginning of February 2008 to the end of February 2009.The establishment of the molecular techniques for identified HBV DNA in chronic patients and carrier group gives an obvious image especially when uses the Nested PCR. The current results confirm that a nested PCR protocol is more sensitive method to detect HBV DNA than PCR direct protocol. The positively of HBV DNA in carrier group and chronic group reached to 46.7% and 30.0%, respectively by employing direct protocol. Whereas, HBV DNA is 100% in both groups by Nested protocol with significant difference (p=0.001).