Diagnostic Tests for Hepatitis C: Where Are We Now?
Authors: Valeria Tedeschi
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1995)

Editorials1 September 1995Diagnostic Tests for Hepatitis C: Where Are We Now?Valeria Tedeschi, PhD and Leonard B. Seeff, MDValeria Tedeschi, PhDVeterans Affairs Medical Center and Georgetown University Washington, DC 20422Search for more papers by this author and Leonard B. Seeff, MDVeterans Affairs Medical Center and Georgetown University Washington, DC 20422Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-123-5-199509010-00009 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Non-A, non-B hepatitis was recognized during the early 1970s in studies of transfusion-associated hepatitis through detection of abnormal serum enzyme levels, especially alanine aminotransferase (ALT) [1-3]. The primary cause for the illness was not established until 1989, when hepatitis C virus (HCV) was identified by molecular cloning techniques [4, 5]. Diagnostic tests for HCV were developed soon after the disease was identified, the first of which was directed at detecting antibody to a single epitope that had been cloned as a fusion protein (5-1-1) on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format [4]. Although a critical first step, the test had ...References1. Feinstone SM, Kapikian AZ, Purcell RH, Alter HJ, Holland PV. Transfusion-associated hepatitis not due to viral hepatitis type A or B. N Engl J Med. 1975; 292:767-70. Google Scholar2. Aach RR, Lander JJ, Sherman LA, Miller WV, Kahn RA, Gitnick GL, et al. Transfusion-transmitted viruses: interim analysis of hepatitis among transfused and nontransfused patients. In: Schmid R, Vyas GN, Cohen SN, eds. Viral Hepatitis: A Contemporary Assessment of Etiology, Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Prevention. Philadelphia: Franklin Institute Pr; 1978:383-96. Google Scholar3. Seeff LB, Wright EC, Zimmerman HJ, Hoofnagle JH, Dietz AA, Felsher BF, et al. Postransfusion hepatitis, 1973-1975: a Veterans Administration cooperative study. In: Schmid R, Vyas GN, Cohen SN, eds. Viral Hepatitis: A Contemporary Assessment of Etiology, Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Prevention. Philadelphia: Franklin Institute Pr; 1978:371-81. Google Scholar4. Kuo G, Choo QL, Gitnick GL, Redeker AG, Purcell RH, Miyamura T, et al. An assay for circulating antibodies to a major etiologic virus of human non-A, non-B hepatitis. Science. 1989; 244:362-4. Google Scholar5. Choo QL, Kuo G, Weiner AJ, Overby LR, Bradley DW, Houghton M. Isolation of a cDNA clone derived from a blood-borne non-A, non-B viral hepatitis genome. Science. 1989; 244:359-63. Google Scholar6. Cuthbert JA. Hepatitis C: progress and problems. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1994; 7:505-32. Google Scholar7. Alter HJ, Tegtmeier GE, Jett BW, Quan S, Shih JW, Bayer WL, et al. The use of a recombinant immunoblot assay in the interpretation of anti-hepatitis C virus reactivity among prospectively followed patients, implicated donors, and random donors. Transfusion. 1991; 31:771-6. Google Scholar8. Weiner A, Shyamala V, Hall JE, Houghton M, Han J. PCR: application of polymerase chain reaction to hepatitis C virus research and diagnostics. In: Becker Y, Darai G, eds. Diagnosis of Human Viruses by Polymerase Chain Reaction Technology. Berlin: Springer-Verlag; 1992:86-100. Google Scholar9. Urdea M. Synthesis and characterization of branch DNA for the direct and quantitative detection of CMV, HBV, HCV and HIV. Clin Chem. 1993; 39:725-6. Google Scholar10. Kaneko S, Murakami S, Unoura M, Kobayashi K. Quantitation of hepatitis C virus RNA by competitive polymerase chain reaction. J Med Virol. 1992; 37:278-82. Google Scholar11. Gretch DR, dela Rosa C, Carithers RL Jr, Willson RA, Williams B, Corey L. Assessment of hepatitis C viremia using molecular amplification technologies: correlations and clinical implications. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 123:321-9. Google Scholar12. Goodman ZD, Ishak KG. Histopathology of hepatitis C virus infection. Semin Liver Dis. 1995; 15:70-81. Google Scholar13. Alberti A, Morsica G, Chemello L, Cavalletto D, Noventa F, Pontisso P, et al. Hepatitis C viraemia and liver disease in symptom-free individuals with anti-HCV. Lancet. 1992; 340:697-8. Google Scholar14. Jouet P, Roudot-Thoraval S, Dhumeaux D, Metreau JM. Comparative efficacy of interferon alfa in cirrhotic and noncirrhotic patients with non-A, non-B, C hepatitis. Le Groupe Francais pour L'Etude du Traitement des Hepatites Chroniques NANB/C. Gastroenterology. 1994; 106:686-90. Google Scholar15. Lau JY, Davis GL, Kniffen J, Qian KP, Urdea MS, Chan CS, et al. Significance of serum hepatitis C virus RNA levels in chronic hepatitis C. Lancet. 1993; 341:1501-4. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Valeria Tedeschi, PhD; Leonard B. Seeff, MDAffiliations: Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Georgetown University Washington, DC 20422Corresponding Author: Leonard B. Seeff, MD, Gastroenterology Section (151W), Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 50 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20422.Current Author Addresses: Drs. Tedeschi and Seeff: Gastroenterology Section (151W), Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 50 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20422. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAssessment of Hepatitis C Viremia Using Molecular Amplification Technologies: Correlations and Clinical Implications David R. Gretch , Corazon dela Rosa , Robert L. Carithers Jr. , Richard A. Willson , Barbara Williams , and Lawrence Corey Metrics Cited by??1-Antitrypsin Deficiency???Associated Liver Disease Progresses Slowly in Some ChildrenPerformance of the COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR Test, Version 2.0, an Automated Reverse Transcription-PCR Quantitative System for Hepatitis C Virus Load DeterminationHEPATITIS VIRUSES A, B, C, D, E AND G: IMPLICATIONS FOR DENTAL PERSONNELMulticenter Evaluation of the COBAS AMPLICOR HCV Assay, an Integrated PCR System for Rapid Detection of Hepatitis C Virus RNA in the Diagnostic LaboratorySpecific Diagnostic Blood TestsNewly diagnosed hepatitis CDevelopment of a quantitative PCR assay for monitoring HCV viraemia levels in patients with chronic hepatitis CContaining Hepatitis CLaboratory Diagnosis of Hepatitis CApplications of the Polymerase Chain Reaction to Infectious Disease Diagnosis 1 September 1995Volume 123, Issue 5Page: 383-385KeywordsAlanine aminotransferaseAntigensChronic hepatitis CEnzyme linked immunosorbent assayEnzymesHepatitis CInfectious diseasesNucleic acidsRNAReverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 1 September 1995 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1995 by American College of Physicians. 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