title: Variation in antibody reactivity to the hepatitis C virus by comparative immunoscreening and enzyme immunoassay.
abstract: The detection of antibody to the hepatitis C virus C100-3 antigen from the nonstructural region (NS3/NS4) of the viral genome was the first useful marker developed to detect past or potentially active infection with the hepatitis C virus. A systematic epitope survey of the nonstructural region has uncovered other immunogenic antigens. In order to assess the possible diagnostic utility of these antigens, their reactivity against a limited panel of sera from patients with chronic liver disease due to hepatitis C virus and other etiologies was tested. Antibody assays were performed using an immunoblot plaque assay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In a study of 16 C100-3-reactive individuals, all 16 patients were reactive using the plaque assay for the NS3 3' (409-1-1) and NS3 5' (C33u). In this same group of patients, antibodies by ELISA were reactive to NS3 3' in 12 of 16 patients (75%), NS3 5' in 15 of 16 patients (93%), and a capsid antigen (NC450) in 14 of 16 patients. In a group of five patients who were diagnosed with cryptogenic liver disease (C100-3 negative), 4 of 5 patients were reactive for antibody to all of the above epitopes. In a survey of 23 patients with other forms of chronic liver disease (nonviral liver disease, hepatitis B, alcoholic liver disease, cholestatic liver disease, and autoimmune hepatitis), only 1 of 23 patients was reactive for antibody to the C100-3 and 4 of 23 patients were reactive for antibodies to structural and nonstructural regions of the virus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Gish
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Warmerdam
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Zeldis
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Keeffe
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nakazato
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: I K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Kuramoto
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Fry
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Yarbough
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015415:Biomarkers; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012747:Sexual Partners; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D015415:Biomarkers; C064544:C100 protein, hepatitis C virus; D000939:Epitopes; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins