[Comparison of two hepatitis C virus typing assays in a Tunisian population].
In patients with hepatitis C, it is necessary to determine the genotype of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) to tailor treatment schedules. HCV-positive sera from 60 chronically infected patients were analyzed by two methods: serotyping and genotyping, to evaluate the suitability of serotyping method for routine determination of HCV genotype; 47 men and 13 women were included in this study, nine were renal transplant patients and five were hemodialysis patients. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected by Elisa (HCV Ab III, Innogenetics SA) and confirmed by immunoblot assay (INNO-LIA-HCV Ab III update, Innogenetics SA). Genotyping analysis was performed by a line probe assay (Inno-LiPA-HCV, Innogenetics SA) and serotypes were determined by an Elisa-based serotyping assay (Murex HCV serotyping 1-6 HCO2, Murex SA) which detect type specific antibodies against NS4-derived epitopes. Among 60 patients positive for anti-HCV antibodies and confirmed by immunoblot assay only 90% show a strong reactivity with NS4. We found the following genotype distribution : 1b (73.3%), 4 (10%), 1a (5%), 3a (5%), 4c/4d (5%) and 1 not classified (1.7%). The most prevalent serotype was type 1 (60%) followed by serotype 6 (20%), 4 (8.3%), 2 (1.7%) and 10% were no type specific antibodies. The sensitivity of the serotyping and the genotyping assays was 90% with a total concordance of 68.3%. Thirteen samples revealed discrepant results with genotype : 1b (4), 1a (3), 3a (3), 4 (2) and 4c/4d (1). This study indicates that the serotyping assay is less specific than genotyping. However, the test is rapid, relatively easy to perform and represent a reliable alternative in laboratories that lack the specific expertise to typing the HCV by molecular methods.
Ben Moussa
M
M
Laboratoire de microbiologie, Hôpital militaire de Tunis, Montfleury, Tunisie.
Barguellil
F
F
Bouziani
A
A
Amor
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012703:Serotyping / Q000379:methods; D014416:Tunisia
D000939:Epitopes; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies
Comparaison de deux méthodes de typage du virus de l'hépatite C dans une population tunisienne.