Patent ID: 8227191

Claim:
A process for amplification of a target viral RNA and a reference RNA in a sample which comprises: (i) selecting a sequence present in the target viral RNA; (ii) adding a known quantity of a reference RNA sequence to the sample, wherein the reference RNA sequence comprises a sequence present in the selected target viral RNA sequence and a sequence not present in the selected target viral RNA sequence, wherein the reference RNA sequence and the selected target viral RNA sequence can be amplified by different oligonucleotides and wherein following amplification amplified reference RNA sequence and amplified selected target viral RNA sequence are distinguishable by size or by probes; (iii) simultaneously subjecting the selected target viral RNA sequence and the reference RNA sequence in the sample to polymerase chain reaction amplification under conditions appropriate to simultaneously amplify the selected target viral RNA sequence if present in the sample and the reference RNA sequence; and (iv) measuring the amounts of the amplified selected target viral RNA sequence and the amplified reference RNA sequence.