ABSTRACT
Hepatitis C virus is a single stranded RNA virus; it is closely related to flavi and pesti-viruses. It is 50-60 nm in size and contains 3011 amino acids and 9033 nucleotides. Virus particles have not been visualized by immune-electron microscopy. HCV-antibody by EIA technique is considered as a good screening test for HCV infection, but PCR is mandatory for therapy. Amplification of HCV-RNA is a difficult procedure due to low copy number of the virus, so nested PCR is recommended to have good sensitivity and specificity. Commercial kit as Roche Amplicor and others are available in the market. Their results are satisfactory especially Roche but they are expensive for performing a research on large number of patients or even for routine work. The aim of this study was the comparison between Amplicor Roche PCR as a gold standard and Homemade [PCR] to evaluate accuracy and cost efficiency of Home made RT-PCR. Several trials were made to optimize the different conditions of the homemade PCR until we reached the best conditions to perform it. Home made PCR showed 97.5% sensitivity and 93.5% specificity compared to Roche as a gold standard. Finally we conclude that Homemade [POR] is accurate, sensitive, specific and cost efficient compared to Amplicor Roche PCR as a gold standard. However, Homemade PCR need very good technical experience and excellent reagents to keep its sensitivity and specificity