Improved detection of antibodies to hepatitis C virus by the second-generation assay in patients with chronic non-A, non-B liver disease.
Serum samples from 337 Japanese patients with chronic non-A, non-B liver disease were tested for antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) by means of first-generation (c100-3; anti-c100) and second-generation (pHCV-34, pHCV-31, c100-3; anti-HCV II) enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and for antibody to the GOR epitope (anti-GOR) also by ELISA. Anti-HCV II was detected in 314 (93.2%), anti-c100 in 247 (81.3%) and anti-GOR in 211 (62.6%) samples. Thus, anti-HCV II was more sensitive in detecting HCV infection than either anti-c100 or anti-GOR (P < 0.001). All serum samples reactive with anti-c100 or anti-GOR reacted with anti-HCV II. Among 314 anti-HCV II-positive patients, we found that 185 (58.9%) were positive for both anti-c100 and anti-GOR while 14 (4.5%) were positive for anti-HCV II alone. Nine (64.3%) of the 14 are presently infected with HCV, as revealed by detection of HCV RNA in their serum; the remaining five may have been infected in the past with HCV. These findings indicate that HCV is a major causative agent of chronic non-A, non-B liver disease in Japan and that detection of anti-HCV II is a specific and more sensitive diagnostic test for HCV infection.
Hayashi
J
J
Department of General Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, Japan.
Nakashima
K
K
Kishihara
Y
Y
Ohmiya
M
M
Yoshimura
E
E
Hirata
M
M
Kashiwagi
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001483:Base Sequence; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; C078224:anti-C100-3