Suitability of an open automated nucleic acid extractor for high-throughput plasma HIV-1 RNA quantitation in Gabon (Central Africa).

Nucleic acid extraction using the open automated EZ1 (Qiagen) instrument, in combination with the Generic HIV Viral Load assay, gave highly concordant HIV-1 RNA viral load results among 181 Gabonese subjects infected with HIV-1, compared to those obtained when performing a manual extraction. Since people living with HIV-1 are being treated with antiretrovirals in Gabon, this automated extraction technique represents an excellent technical method for high-throughput monitoring of HIV-1 RNA viral load.