title: Hepatitis C virus antibody prevalence among human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected individuals: analysis with different test systems.
abstract: Sera of 383 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-infected individuals from Frankfurt (Main)/Germany were assayed by two hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening tests (Abbott second generation, Ortho second generation). This population showed a prevalence for reactivity with both tests of 20.8% (80/383). Examination of all reactive sera (91/383) by a supplemental assay (Chiron RIBA 2) gave for 46 sera a positive, for 33 sera an indeterminate, and for 12 sera a negative result. Further analysis focussed on these RIBA 2-indeterminate and -negative samples. Analysis of the sera using an in-house Western blot with three different Escherichia coli-expressed HCV proteins revealed that none of the RIBA 2-negative, but 24 of the 33 RIBA 2-indeterminate sera, including 3 of 4 c33c (NS3)-reactive samples, were reactive with a recombinant core protein. Twenty-one of 22 c22-3 (core) indeterminates stained the core antigen in the in-house Western blot and 3 of them in addition a NS5 moiety. HCV-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was positive for 14 of the 24 RIBA 2-indeterminate sera, but for none of the RIBA 2-negative or Western blot nonreactive samples. Discrepant results between the two screening tests could not be explained by differences in the antigen compositions (i.e., a NS3-NS4 moiety of 111 amino acids present in the Ortho enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), not present in the Abbott or RIBA 2 assays).
authors.affiliation: Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nübling
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: von Wangenheim
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Staszewski
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Löwer
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D015497:HIV-1; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral