APPLICATION OF COMMERCIAL ASSAYS TO DETECT IGG ANTIBODIES TO HEPATITIS-C VIRUS IN URINE - A PILOT-STUDY FROM AUTOPSY CASES

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the main cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis in t he United States and possibly in the world, is believed to be transmit ted primarily through parenteral exposure. Many screening and suppleme ntal tests are available to detect antibodies to HCV in serum. The abi lity to use commercial assays to detect antibodies to HCV in urine was investigated in this study. A total of 229 serum/urine matched sample s were collected sequentially from forensic autopsy cases examined at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, Testing w as performed using the Ortho, Innogenetics, and Abbott second generati on HCV screening tests and the INNO-LIA HCV Ab supplemental assay. Sam ple volumes were increased for urine testing. Forty-six of 229 serum s amples were positive by screening and confirmed by supplemental tests. The urine samples produced positive results on 44-45 of the same 46 b y screening tests and all 46 positives by the supplemental test. There were no false positive samples using urine when compared with the ser um pairs. The one false negative sample using urine was still nonreact ive when the urine volume was increased to 200 mu l using the screenin g tests. Generally, five times the serum volume was required for the s creening tests to be optimal for urine samples. The urine samples were stored under different conditions prior to testing to determine the i nfluence on antibody stability in urine. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.