title: Distinguishing acute from chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection based on antibody reactivities to specific HCV structural and nonstructural proteins.
abstract: Currently available serological assays for detection of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) cannot reliably discriminate acute from chronic HCV infection. We developed a multiplexed, flow-cytometric microsphere immunoassay to measure anti-HCV-IgG reactivities to the core, NS3, NS4, and NS5 HCV recombinant proteins and applied it to 99 serum samples from 24 anti-HCV seroconverters and 141 anti-HCV-IgG and HCV RNA-positive plasma specimens from chronically infected people. Differences in the geometric means or means of signal/cutoff ratios between the two sample sets were statistically significant for all the antigens tested. A multivariate logistic regression model correctly classified the samples in two groups, with a cross-validation accuracy of 90.8% for the acute group and 97.2% for the chronic group. The immunoassay described has the potential to distinguish acute from chronic HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd. NE, MS A-33, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. AAraujo@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Aufra C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.forename: Irina V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Astrakhantseva
authors.forename: Howard A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: Saleem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamili
mesh_terms: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008863:Microspheres; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins