Abstract: Objective The purpose of this study was to compare performance of NucliSens miniMag system and QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit in detecting serum HCV RNA loads. Methods 103 serum samples with anti-HCV positive were collected in our hospital between June 2021 and June 2023, and serum RNA was extracted by NucliSens miniMag system or QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit, respectively. Serum HCV RNA loads were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR. Repetition and sensitivity were assessed. Results Of 103 anti-HCV positive serum samples, serum HCV RNA positive rates by NucliSens miniMag system and QIAamp system were 86.4% and 82.5% (P＞0.05); serum HCV RNA load by NucliSens miniMag system was (5.4±1.2) lg IU/mL, much higher than (5.0±1.6)lg IU/mL by QIAamp kit (t=2.078, P=0.039); coefficient of variation of lowest and highest serum HCV RNA loads by NucliSens miniMag system were 2.4% and 2.2%, much superior to 4.7% and 4.5% by QIAamp kit; lowest serum HCV RNA load by NucliSens miniMag system detection was 2.8×10^-6 lg IU/mL, much sensitive than 3.5×10^-6 lg IU/mL by QIAamp kit. Conclusion Efficacy of serum HCV RNA assay by NucliSens miniMag system is satisfactory, which could help clinicians diagnose patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Key words: Chronic hepatitis C, Hepatitis C virus RNA, Nucleic acid extraction, NucliSens miniMag system, Detection