Diagnosis of hepatitis C virus infection using different methods

ABSTRACT

Hepatitis C virus [HCV] is now recognized as one of the major health problems allover the world. More than 50 percent of individuals exposed to HCV develop chronic infection. Approximately 20 percent to 30 percent will develop liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV is generally transmitted by the parentral route. Methods to identify HCV include a highly sensitive second generation immunoassay that detects antibodies to structural and non-structural proteins in serum. Viremia is detected by polymerase chain reaction [PCR] technology. This study was done on 200 subjects who were divided into four groups, and 30 apparent healthy persons [blood donors] as a control group. Sera were subjected to detection of antibodies to HCV using enzyme linked immunosorbant assay [ELISA] test and the detection of viral RNA by PCR. HCV antibodies were present in 82 [35.36 percent] out of 230 tested subjects. Sera from these subjects [230] were subjected to detection of HCV- RNA, we found HCV - RNA in 22 [14.9 percent] out of 148 hCV antibody - negative subjects and in 72 [87.8 percent] out of 82 HCV antibody - positive subjects: