Novel HCV Antigen Test Allows 1-Step Screening, Diagnosis

A novel hepatitis C virus antigens enzyme immunoassay (HCV-Ags EIA) can reliably serve as a one-step test to screen and diagnose active or viremic HCV (V-HCV) infection, according to a study published online June 6 in Hepatology. The highly specific and sensitive test relies on simultaneous detection of four HCV proteins and non-denaturation of serum samples to achieve results comparable to HCV RNA reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results in differentiating V-HCV infection from resolved HCV (R-HCV) infection. While the latest generation of anti-HCV tests are highly sensitive and specific, they are relegated to screening tests as they remain incapable of diagnosing acute HCV infection and differentiating between V-HCV and R-HCV infection. The gold standard for HCV diagnosis remains HCV RNA RT-PCR, which is costly and requires specialized equipment not available in low-resource settings. The availability of new treatment options are increasing the need for HCV screening and diagnosis to link these individuals to appropriate care. HCV core antigen (HCVcAg) has been considered a serologic marker of viral replication and holds promise for one-step diagnosis of HCV infection, but HCVcAg-based tests have been plagued by low sensitivity and specificity. To develop the HCV-Ags EIA the researchers first assessed the expression […]