HEPATITIS-C VIRUS DIAGNOSTICS - TECHNOLOGY, CLINICAL-APPLICATIONS ANDIMPACTS

Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause several significant h ealth problems. Sensitive and specific assays for antibodies to HCV ar e available to identify and confirm individuals infected with HCV. Eva luation of the clinical impact of HCV infection in a patient includes measuring liver biochemistries and possibly liver biopsy. Molecular as says such as HCV genotype identification and qualitative/quantitative HCV RNA analyses may be valuable in considerations of prognosis and th erapy. Further refinement of antibody screening and confirmatory assay s and standardization of molecular testing are necessary to optimize t esting and thus fully characterize the diagnosis of HCV infection.