Improved serodiagnosis of posttransfusion hepatitis C virus infection by a second-generation immunoassay based on multiple recombinant antigens.
Serial serum samples from 35 patients with posttransfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis in a prospective study were tested for antibody to hepatitis C virus (HCV) by a multiple recombinant antigen based immunoassay [anti-HCV (2nd); Abbott]. Of them, 23 were positive for anti-C100, and 27 were positive for HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction. By anti-HCV (2nd), 28 patients were positive, and all except 1 of the 28 patients were positive for HCV RNA. A total of 24 patients, who became HCV RNA positive at the acute stage and who were negative for both anti-C100 and anti-HCV (2nd) before transfusion, were considered to have posttransfusion hepatitis C. The mean time to seroconversion for anti-HCV (2nd) was 7.5 or 12.1 weeks after the onset of hepatitis or the date of transfusion, respectively, and was generally 6 weeks earlier than that detected by anti-C100. However, seroconversion was delayed in 2 hepatitis B surface antigen carriers as compared with anti-C100. The anti-C100 assay detected 20 (83%) and the anti-HCV (2nd) all 24 patients with documented posttransfusion hepatitis C. The second-generation test is, therefore, better than conventional anti-C100 for the early diagnosis of HCV infection.
Wang
J T
JT
Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Republic of China.
Wang
T H
TH
Lin
J T
JT
Sheu
J C
JC
Lee
C Z
CZ
Chen
D S
DS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000276:immunology
D000956:Antigens, Viral; C064544:C100 protein, hepatitis C virus; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins