Identification of a specific marker for hepatitis C virus infection using capillary zone electrophoresis.
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is now becoming a common health problem in both developed and developing countries. The limitation of the available diagnostic approaches enhances the efforts to have a rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnostic testing for HCV infection. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) is a fully automated analytical technique whose popularity is quickly increasing in the clinical chemistry laboratory. CZE can analyze nanoliters or less of samples with detection sensitivity at the attomole level (10(-18) mol) or less.


METHODS
CZE was optimized for the identification of a specific marker of HCV infection. The performance characteristics of the CZE for the detection of HCV RNA peak were evaluated in comparison with standard nested PCR.


RESULTS
A characteristic peak at 2.72 min was identified only in the CZE electropherogram of urine samples from HCV-infected individuals. The nature of the characteristic peak was investigated and confirmed to be HCV RNA using PCR and other biochemical treatments including RNase, DNase, and trypsin enzymes. CZE showed high degrees of sensitivity (94%) and specificity (96%) in comparison with the nested PCR.


CONCLUSIONS
CZE provides a rapid, inexpensive, sensitive, and specific analytical method for diagnosis and mass screening of a large number of HCV-infected individuals.
Attallah
Abdelfattah M
AM
Biotechnology Research Center, P.O. Box 14, 23 July Street, Industrial Zone, 34517 New Damietta, Egypt. amattallah@hotmail.com
Abdel Malak
Camelia A
CA
Elghawalby
Nabih A
NA
Shehatta
Ahmed S
AS
Abdel-Raouf
Mohamed
M
Shiha
Gamal E
GE
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases / Q000494:pharmacology; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary / Q000379:methods*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000494:pharmacology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014357:Trypsin / Q000494:pharmacology
D015415:Biomarkers; D012367:RNA, Viral; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases; D012260:Ribonucleases; D014357:Trypsin