EFFECTIVE DETECTION OF ACTIVE HCV INFECTION - HCV RNA CARRIER STATE IN A CONTEXT-FREE OF HEPATITIS SYMPTOMS

Citation
C. Arapinis et al., EFFECTIVE DETECTION OF ACTIVE HCV INFECTION - HCV RNA CARRIER STATE IN A CONTEXT-FREE OF HEPATITIS SYMPTOMS, Clinica chimica acta, 258(1), 1997, pp. 91-104
Citations number
37
Categorie Soggetti
Medical Laboratory Technology",Biology
Journal title
ISSN journal
00098981
Volume
258
Issue
1
Year of publication
1997
Pages
91 - 104
Database
ISI
SICI code
0009-8981(1997)258:1<91:EDOAHI>2.0.ZU;2-7
Abstract
HCV immunological assays have limited specificity due to considerable variability of genomic coding sequences. Accordingly, PCR RNA detectio n also shows variable incidence of HCV in a non-A, non-B (NANB) hepati tis context. We used in-house designed nested PCR applying primers fro m the 5' untranslated region in 150 thalassemic patients classified in four groups according to anti-HCV screening and glutamic-pyruvate tra nsaminase (GPT) levels. Group A: anti-HCV+/high GPT levels; group B: a nti-HCV+/normal GPT levels; group C: anti-HCV-/high GPT levels; group D: anti-HCV-/normal GPT levels. Viral incidence and concentration, bot h high in group A, decreased towards group D. Group C RNA incidence wa s unexpectedly high and, moreover, one control case proved HCV-RNA(+). Compared with the Amplicor kit our primers were considerably more sen sitive. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.