Sp. Parker et al., A METHOD FOR THE DETECTION AND CONFIRMATION OF ANTIBODIES TO HEPATITIS-C VIRUS IN DRIED BLOOD SPOTS, Journal of virological methods, 68(2), 1997, pp. 199-205
Citations number
15
Categorie Soggetti
Virology,"Biochemical Research Methods","Biothechnology & Applied Migrobiology
This study describes the development and evaluation of a cost effectiv
e test rationale for the detection of anti-HCV in dried blood spots. S
amples were screened using an 'in house' IgG ELISA that incorporated t
he recombinant proteins c22-3, c200 and NS5. Confirmation of specific
antibody to HCV was by a modification of the immunoblot RIBA 3.0. An e
xtensive panel of well evaluated anti-HCV positive and negative sample
s from the UK and South Africa were used to assess the sensitivity and
specificity of the two tests. One third of the anti-HCV positive samp
les had been typed. All anti-HCV positive samples were detected by the
'in house' screening EIA. Test/negative optical density ratios showed
that more than 95% of reactive samples produced values greater than 5
.0. Antibodies to HCV could be detected in a wide range of samples der
ived from asymptomatic and symptomatic patients and of different genot
ypes, with similar sensitivity. The presence of anti-HCV could be conf
irmed by RIBA 3.0 in samples with low reactivity but not in anti-HCV n
egative samples. Furthermore the immunoblot assay successfully increas
ed specificity by screening out false reactive EIA samples that might
occur in an epidemiological survey of a multi-ethnic population. (C) 1
997 Elsevier Science B.V.