This study, involving 20 laboratories and using currently available assays for hepatitis C virus RNA quantification, demonstrated that differences in viral load values are due not to interlaboratory variations but rather to the nature of the assay itself. This underlines the importance of using the same assay in multicenter studies or when monitoring antiviral therapy.
Centre National de Référence pour les Hépatites B et C en Transfusion, Département des Agents Transmissibles par le Sang, Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine, 6 rue Alexandre-Cabanel, 75015, Paris, France.
