title: [Qualitative detection of hepatitis C virus core antigen in the serum in patients with chronic hepatitis C].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical significance of serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
  
  
  METHODS
  The serum HCV core antigen, which was taken from 149 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 20 patients of chronic hepatitis B and 20 health volunteers, was detected by ELISA. Meanwhile, the serum HCV RNA was detected by RT-PCR, and anti-HCV was detected by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The qualitative HCV core antigen in the serum, which was take from 20 patients of chronic hepatitis B and 20 health volunteers, was negative.The positive percentage of HCV core antigen was 49.66% in the 149 sera of patients with chronic hepatitis C. The coincidence of detective results of HCV RNA and HCV core antigen was 54.36%, without significant difference (P>0.05). The positive percentage of HCV RNA and HCV core antigen in the 149 anti-HCV antibody positive sera samples were 55.03% (82/149) and 49.66% (74/149), respectively, and there was no significant difference (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The qualitative HCV core antigen detected by ELISA has a high specificity. The positive percentage of HCV core antigen in the serum of patients with chronic hepatitis C is 49.66%. HCV core antigen is related to HCV RNA. HCV core antigen may be a useful serum marker which could show HCV viraemia like HCV RNA.
authors.affiliation: Departerment of Infectious Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: De-ming
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Tie-gang
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins