Improved serodiagnosis of non-A, non-B hepatitis by an assay detecting antibody to hepatitis C virus core antigen.
We examined sequential serum samples from 12 patients with well-characterized posttransfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis who had an acute, resolving self-limited type of clinical course for the presence of antibody to the hepatitis C virus nucleocapsid (core) protein (p22) expressed by a recombinant baculovirus. These sera were simultaneously examined for antibody to the hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein (C100-3) that is presently used for blood screening worldwide. In three patients, both anti-p22 and anti-C100-3 antibodies were detected, but anti-p22 was detected much earlier. In four patients, only anti-p22 was detected. Two other patients were considered to be hepatitis C virus carriers who had been already infected with hepatitis C virus. In one patient, only anti-C100-3 was detected, and it was transient. In two patients, neither antibody was detected. Anti-p22 was detected in at least one of eight samples of transfused blood. Of the nine samples of donated blood that were positive for anti-p22, only four were positive for anti-C100-3. This new assay detecting the antibody to the p22 protein is thus useful for the serodiagnosis of non-A, non-B hepatitis in the acute phase and for blood screening.
Tokyo National Chest Hospital, Kiyose-shi, Japan.
T
T
Katayama
T
T
Mazda
S
S
Kikuchi
S
S
Harada
Y
Y
Matsuura
J
J
Chiba
H
H
Ohba
I
I
Saito
T
T
Miyamura
D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012698:Serologic Tests; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D000956:Antigens, Viral; C064544:C100 protein, hepatitis C virus; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C078224:anti-C100-3; C499352:core protein p22, Hepatitis C virus; C069130:nucleocapsid protein, Hepatitis C virus