Real-time RT-PCR of Hantaan virus RNA used for the detection of virus response to antiviral drugs.

Hantaan virus (HTN) is an important cause of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Korea. HTN RNA can be detected with the RT-PCR and the quantity of HTN RNA in infected cells can be measured by competitive RT-PCR. The current study used the real-time RT-PCR for the detection of viral RNA S gene in a more detailed fashion than in the previous study (Nam et al., Virus Genes 26, 31-38, 2003). A standard curve was generated with serial 10-fold dilutions of the HTN RNA. The sensitivity of RNA detection was approximately 10 PFU of HTN. The cells infected with HTN were treated with the antiviral drugs ribavirin, zidovudine, and amantadine. 24 hrs after infection, real-time RT-PCR was used to detect the HTN RNA synthesized in the infected cells. No viral RNA was detected in the HTN-infected cells treated with antiviral drugs, but HTN RNA was detected in untreated HTN-infected cells. This finding suggested that real-time RTPCR should be used for the detection of antiviral activity against HTN.