scholarly journals The Correlation between Hepatitis C Core Antigen and Hepatitis C Virus RNA Levels with Respect to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Status, Hepatitis C Virus Genotype and Interferon-Lambda-4 Polymorphism

Intervirology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vo Duy Thong ◽  
Srunthron Akkarathamrongsin ◽  
Anchalee Avihingsanon ◽  
Apiradee Theamboonlers ◽  
Yong Poovorawan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Liver Stiffness ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Status ◽  
Core Antigen ◽  
Hcv Rna ◽  
Virus Genotype ◽  
Hcv Genotypes ◽  
Interferon Lambda ◽  
Rna Levels

Objectives: Serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen (HCVcAg) concentrations correlate with HCV RNA levels in HCV monoinfected patients. Data in HCV/HIV coinfected patients are still limited. We aim to compare the use of HCVcAg measurement with respect to HIV status, HCV genotypes, interferon-lambda-4 (IFNL4) polymorphism and clinical parameters. Methods: We analyzed an untreated cohort of 104 patients with HCV monoinfection and 85 patients with HCV/HIV coinfection. Serum HCVcAg was measured by a commercial chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. The presence of IFNL4 polymorphism ss469415590 was identified by real-time PCR. Results: log10 HCVcAg levels were significantly correlated with corresponding log10 HCV RNA levels (r = 0.889, p < 0.001), but not with ALT levels and liver stiffness. The correlation between HCV RNA and HCVcAg was particularly high in coinfected patients and those with high viremia. Mean log10 HCVcAg concentration was significantly higher in coinfected patients than in monoinfected patients. Patients harboring the TT/TT genotype of ss469415590 had significantly higher levels of log10 HCVcAg than those with the non-TT/TT genotype. HCVcAg levels were similar across HCV genotypes. Conclusions: HCVcAg concentrations had an excellent correlation with HCV RNA levels, particularly in HCV/HIV-coinfected individuals and might be associated with IFNL4 polymorphism. HCVcAg testing could be used as an alternative to HCV RNA assays in resource-limited settings.

scholarly journals Early viral kinetics and response to treatment in a hepatitis C virus genotype 5 infected patient

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Emanuele Durante-Mangoni ◽  
Domenico Iossa ◽  
Umberto Malgeri
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Antiviral Treatment ◽  
Pegylated Interferon ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Core Antigen ◽  
Hcv Rna ◽  
Virus Genotype ◽  
Viral Kinetics ◽  
Genotype 5

Genotype 5 hepatitis C has been poorly studied despite its worldwide spread. We have analyzed the early kinetics of genotype 5 hepatitis C virus RNA during pegylated interferon/ribavirin treatment in a 59-year-old man with active liver necroinflammatory changes and advanced liver fibrosis. The patient had a high viral load but a small serum level of hepatitis C core antigen. On combination antiviral treatment with pegylated-interferon alpha 2a, 180 ?g/week, and ribavirin, 1200 mg/day, the patient experienced an impressive reduction in serum HCV RNA as early as day 2 of treatment and eventually became a sustained virological responder. Our viral kinetics data support previous clinical studies showing HCV genotype 5 could be as intrinsically sensitive to interferon as HCV genotypes 2 and 3.

scholarly journals Hepatitis C Virus Core Mutations Reduce the Sensitivity of a Fluorescence Enzyme Immunoassay

2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. 3450-3452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajime Tokita ◽  
Gilbert R. Kaufmann ◽  
Mamoru Matsubayashi ◽  
Isao Okuda ◽  
Tsukasa Tanaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Enzyme Immunoassay ◽  
Core Region ◽  
Core Antigen ◽  
Nucleotide Sequencing ◽  
Hcv Rna ◽  
Virus Core ◽  
Hcv Core Antigen ◽  
Rna Levels

Four of 107 samples obtained from hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers showed lower HCV core antigen levels in a fluorescence enzyme immunoassay (FEIA) than expected from corresponding HCV RNA levels. Nucleotide sequencing revealed a mutation in the HCV core region (Thr49Pro) that appears to have reduced the FEIA sensitivity.

scholarly journals Hepatitis C Virus Core Antigen as an Alternative to RNA in the Assessment of Response to Treatment with Direct-acting Oral Antivirals

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Mancebo Martínez ◽  
Paula N&uacute;&ntilde;ez Serrano ◽  
José Carlos Fernández de Cañete Camacho ◽  
José María Moreno Planas
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Strong Correlation ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Core Antigen ◽  
Hcv Rna ◽  
Molecular Testing ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Direct Acting ◽  
Rna Levels

Background: Affordable and effective diagnostic and treatment monitoring algorithms are urgently needed to achieve the global elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Methods: A total of 274 patients were treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in the Spanish Hospital of Albacete between 2004 and 2020. This study compared the enzyme-immunoassay technique for HCV core antigen (HCVcAg) with the determination of RNA of HCV (HCV RNA) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in monitoring treatment with DAA, setting the lower limit of detection of HCVcAg < 3 fmol/L and RNA < 10 IU/mL. In all cases, the P value of differences associated with the contrast test was less than or equal to 0.05. Results: We evaluated the viral loads of our patients before treatment, during their treatment, and after its completion. The HCV RNA quantification at diagnosis was 2309327 IU/mL. The mean HCVcAg load was 5972 fmol/L. There was a strong correlation between HCVcAg levels and RNA levels with a Spearman rho of 0.832 (P < 0.01). The HCVcAg sensitivity at diagnosis was 99%, but the specificity could not be calculated because there were no true negatives or false positives at this point. Twelve weeks after treatment, in patients with treatment failure, we obtained a mean of 19084 IU/mL for RNA, while for HCVcAg, the mean was 103 fmol/L. At this time point, we also found a strong correlation between HCVcAg levels and HCV RNA levels with a Spearman rho of 0.775 (P < 0.01). Finally, the virological cure was achieved in 99% of our patients. The results for sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were 100%, 99.87%, 86.33%, and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: HCVcAg determination is an excellent alternative to HCV RNA in the assessment of treatment response. This is particularly relevant in lower- and middle-income countries and resource-limited settings where the high cost of labor, equipment, and reagents can prohibit molecular testing.

scholarly journals Hepatitis C virus genotype and its correlation with viral load in patients from Kathmandu, Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 1470-1474
Author(s):  
Bhavesh Kumar Mishra ◽  
Uday Narayan Yadav ◽  
Saroj Khatiwada ◽  
Man Kumar Tamang ◽  
Shivir Dahal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Viral Load ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
High Viral Load ◽  
Hcv Rna ◽  
Virus Genotype ◽  
Median Viral Load ◽  
Hcv Genotype ◽  
Hcv Genotypes ◽  
Genotype 3A

Introduction: Knowledge about the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype and its correlation with viral load are important for the decision of treatment and the prediction of disease progression, however such information is very limited in Nepal. Here, we investigated the distribution of HCV genotypes and viral load for HCV-infected patients from Kathmandu, Nepal. Methodology: Ninety-six patients with HCV infection and not on antiviral therapy were enrolled from three different medical centers in Kathmandu valley, Nepal. Demographics were recorded and blood samples were collected. Plasma was separated and HCV RNA was extracted. Reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) was performed to measure the viral load, and virus genotype was determined. Results: Genotype 3a (n = 53, 55.2%) was the most prevalent, followed by 1b (n = 19, 19.8%), 1a (n = 18, 18.8%), 5a (n = 3, 3.1%), and mix types (n = 3, 3.1%). The median viral load for HCV genotype 1a was 770,942 IU/mL (IQR, 215,268-3,720,075), 1b was 700,000 IU/mL (IQR, 431,560-919,000), 3a was 1,060,000 IU/mL (IQR, 641,050-6,063,500), 5a was 673,400 IU/mL, and mixed was 6,428,000 IU/mL. A correlation between genotype and viral load was observed (p = 0.02), of which genotype 3a showed a high viral load. Conclusions: HCV genotypes 1a, 1b, 3a, and 5a were identified in Kathmandu, Nepal, and mixed genotype patients were observed in the patients studied. HCV genotype showed a correlation with viral load in patient plasma. This finding may contribute to the treatment and prevention of hepatitis C in Kathmandu, Nepal.

scholarly journals Role of hepatitis C virus core antigen assay in hepatitis C care in developing country

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ouafa Kallala ◽  
Saoussen Kacem ◽  
Imene Fodha ◽  
Bruno Pozzetto ◽  
Trabelsi Abdelhalim
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Core Antigen ◽  
Hcv Rna ◽  
Hcv Genotype ◽  
Rna Levels

Abstract Background The World Health Organization (WHO) aims to achieve global hepatitis C elimination by 2030, defined as diagnosis of 90% of infected individuals and treating 80% of them. Current guidelines for the screening and diagnosis of hepatitis C infection denote using a relatively cheap screen with anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody immunoassay, followed by the much costlier molecular test for HCV RNA levels using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to confirm active HCV infection. Simplification of the HCV evaluation algorithm to reduce the number of required tests could considerably expand the provision of HCV treatment especially in a developing country. This study investigates the performance of hepatitis C Core Antigen (HCV Ag) test by comparing HCV Ag results versus the results obtained with HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) PCR which is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of HCV infection. Results Among the 109 anti-HCV positive sera, 96 were positive for both HCV Ag (> 3 fmol/L) and HCV RNA (> 15 IU/mL); 8 were negative for both tests, while the remaining 5 were positive for HCV RNA only. Considering the HCV RNA as gold standard; the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of HCV Ag test were found to be 95.05%, 100%, 100%, and 61.54%, respectively. HCV genotype was performed for 59 patients. The most common HCV genotype was genotype 1 (72.9%). Genotype 2 (15.3%) and genotype 3 (11.9%) were detected in the others samples. A high level of correlation was seen between HCV RNA and HCV Ag (r = 0.958, p < 0.001). The correlation for the samples that were genotyped 1 was significant (r = 0.966, p < 0.001). Conclusion In our study, it was found that there was strong correlation between HCV RNA levels and HCV Ag levels. So, it can be used for a one-step HCV antigen test to diagnose active HCV infection.

Prospective study of hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients by monthly analysis of HCV RNA and antibodies

2003 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 503-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina Moreira ◽  
João Renato Rebello Pinho ◽  
Jorge Fares ◽  
Isabel Takano Oba ◽  
Maria Regina Cardoso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Hemodialysis Patients ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Hcv Rna ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus Infection ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Hcv Genotypes ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Time Required

The aims of this study were to (i) evaluate the prevalence and the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in hemodialysis patients in two different centers in São Paulo (Brazil), (ii) determine the time required to detect HCV infection among these patients by serology or PCR, (iii) establish the importance of alanine aminotransferase determination as a marker of HCV infection, and (iv) identify the HCV genotypes in this population. Serum samples were collected monthly for 1 year from 281 patients admitted to hospital for hemodialysis. Out of 281 patients, 41 patients (14.6%) were HCV positive; six patients seroconverted during this study (incidence = 3.1/1000 person-month). In 1.8% (5/281) of cases, RNA was detected before the appearance of antibodies (up to 5 months), and in 1.1% (3/281) of cases, RNA was the unique marker of HCV infection. The genotypes found were 1a, 1b, 3a, and 4a. The presence of genotype 4a is noteworthy, since it is a rare genotype in Brazil. These data pointed out the high prevalence and incidence of HCV infection at hemodialysis centers in Brazil and showed that routine PCR is fundamental for improving the detection of HCV carriers among patients undergoing hemodialysis.Key words: HCV genotypes, hemodialysis, hepatitis C, PCR, prevalence, incidence.

Serum Hepatitis C Virus RNA Levels and Histologic Findings in Liver Allografts With Early Recurrent Hepatitis C

2000 ◽  
Vol 124 (11) ◽  
pp. 1623-1627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Nyun Park ◽  
Peter Boros ◽  
David Y. Zhang ◽  
Patricia Sheiner ◽  
Leona Kim-Schluger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Liver Biopsy ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Hcv Rna ◽  
Recurrent Hepatitis ◽  
Biopsy Specimens ◽  
Histologic Activity Index ◽  
Recurrent Hepatitis C ◽  
Rna Levels

Abstract Background.—Histopathologic features of early recurrent hepatitis C after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) may be modified by immunosuppressive therapy or complicated by other conditions. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA level usually increases after OLTx, but its correlation to histologic findings is not clear. Objective.—To evaluate the histologic findings of early recurrent hepatitis C in liver allografts and its correlation to serum HCV RNA level. Methods.—We studied 14 patients who underwent OLTx for chronic HCV infection. Thirty liver biopsy specimens and HCV RNA levels of 22 corresponding plasma samples obtained during the first 6 months following OLTx were analyzed. The control group (9 patients, 25 biopsy specimens) was chosen at random from patients with chronic liver disease other than HCV who were undergoing OLTx, and all tested negative for HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction after OLTx. Results.—Statistically significant pathological features of early recurrent HCV infection were the number of acidophilic bodies, piecemeal necrosis, lymphocyte predominance in the portal tracts, and fibrous septum. These findings and histologic activity index scores increased with time after OLTx. The HCV RNA levels determined by branched DNA assay showed no significant correlation with histologic features. However, patients with higher histologic activity index scores tended to have higher RNA levels. Conclusions.—Liver biopsy specimens are helpful for the diagnosis or confirmation of early recurrent hepatitis C in liver allografts, but serial biopsy specimens are sometimes required for definite diagnosis. The HCV RNA levels are usually higher in patients who display signs of more severe liver damage.

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