Characterization of primers for optimal amplification of hepatitis B virus DNA in the polymerase chain reaction assay.

While the polymerase chain reaction assay has been shown to be effective in detecting serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, a systematic evaluation of the characteristics of optimal primer pairs has not yet been reported. Several factors related to the selection of primer pairs were examined and the findings are summarized as follows: (1) primers specific for the single- or double-stranded region of the HBV genome are equally effective in amplifying serum DNA; (2) maximum amplification is seen using primers, separated by no more than 500 nucleotides; and, (3) primers with up to 14% mismatch are effective at amplifying HBV DNA.