title: [Viral quantitation of hepatitis C virus: present and future].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis C virus (HCV) plasmatic load, also called HCV viremia, is expressed in copies per milliliter or viral particle equivalents per milliliter.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The methods used to measure HCV viremia are based on two principles: the quantitation of viral proteins (measure of antigenemia using monoclonal antibodies), and the quantitation of viral nucleic acid using PCR after reverse transcription (RT-PCR), or signal amplification (branched DNA). There is no relationship between viremia and liver histologic activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of HCV quantitative viremia in a treatment algorithm, including other factors such as age, genotype, degree of viral genetic heterogeneity, and liver fibrosis score will help adapt therapeutic associations for each individual.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Alphabio, Hôpital Ambroise-Paré, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Halfon
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cacoub
mesh_terms: D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral