Recombinant Based Assay Case Study

There are two different main types of diagnostic testing that can be done to determine if the Hepatitis C virus is present in your body. The Hepatitis C Antibody test is a screening test ordered by your physician that will show if you have ever been exposed to the virus in your lifetime. This test detects antibodies that your body would have formed in order to fight off the Hepatitis C virus.

HCV is a blood-borne virus. This means that it spreads to a person through contact with the infected blood to another person. The most common method is promoting HCV using contaminated needles and other equipment for use in the field of medicine.

Hepatitis C affects millions worldwide. Hepatitis C causes infection leading to chronic liver disease. Human hepatocyte chimeric mice were made by transplantation of the human hepatocyte to mice. Reverse genetic hepatitis C viruses of two different genotypes were made from infectious clones and human hepatocyte chimeric mice. Chimeric mice were injected with both genotypes of hepatitis C. There after treatment by interferon was administered. A control of human serum from a donor with chronic hepatitis C was used. The results obtained showed that mice injected with both genotypes of hepatitis C virus had a quantifiable level of virus present in the blood. It was observed that genotype 1 did not response to interferon therapy as compared to genotype 2. Results showed a decreased level of genotype 2 of hepatitis C virus after

The hepatitis C virus is a single-stranded RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family. The virus replicates within hepatocytes and is most notable for lacking a proofreading polymerase which enables copious amounts of viral mutations. There are 6 genotypes of HCV with the most widely distributed genotypes being types 1, the most common, and type 2.

In general, a patient is infected with only one hepatitis C virus genotype. The strain of genotypes is not differentiated by the severity of the disease. However, there will make a distinction in the regimen and the duration of the treatment (CDC, 2016). Treatment for chronic HCV is based on guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Associations for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The criteria of who should receive the treatment include how much the virus in the body, the strain of hepatitis C, the degree of liver inflammation or damage, comorbidity, and response to previous treatment (Infectious Diseases Society of America [IDSA], 2016). The highest priority for treatment should give to a patient with advanced fibrosis and compensated cirrhosis (IDSA, 2016). Moreover, treatment priority should provide to the patient who has a high risk of transmitting the disease from and to others, such as individuals who are active injection drug users and hemodialysis patients (IDSA, 2016).

The risk of a pregnant woman passing the hepatitis C virus to her unborn child has been related to the levels of quantitative RNA levels in her blood, and also whether she is also HIV positive. There are approximately six out of 100 infants that have been born to mothers that are infected with the hepatitis C virus which means the infant is also infected at birth. Fortunately, most infants that are infected with hepatitis C at birth show no signs of the virus nor are there symptoms and do well during childhood. The risk of transmission is greater if the mother is HIV positive, but the chances decrease if the mother has not been diagnosed with HIV and if she has no history of intravenous drug use or blood transfusions. If the mother is HIV positive, there is a seven to eight percent chance the hepatitis C virus will transmit to the offspring. Perinatal transmission is now the leading cause of hepatitis C transmission in developed countries. There is a 25 to 50 percent chance of spontaneous clearance and delayed morbidity results in HCV being overlooked in pregnant women and their infants (“Hepatitis C FAQ”). There is not enough research that can determine the effects of the hepatitis C virus on children that have been affected into adulthood. There are some infants that are born with an antibody which they may lose by the time they are 18 months old, so it is important to test for the hepatitis C virus once the infant reaches 18 months old. Some medical

Hepatitis C prevalence is higher in some countries in Africa and Asia. The report published by the Egyptian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) stated that, in Egypt, there is an overall Anti-HCV antibody prevalence of 14.7% (estimated to be about 12 million individuals) and the number of Egyptians estimated to be chronically infected was 9.8% (about 8 million individuals )[8]. Hepatitis C virus represents the second most common blood-borne illness in the world, affecting up to 2% of the world’s population [9]. Data suggest that HCV infection should be regarded as a systemic infection with multi-organ involvement [10].

To diagnose hepatitis C, a blood test that searches for hepatitis C antibodies can determine whether someone has caught the virus. A follow up blood test can be taken to confirm if the virus is really there. Once a person is diagnosed with hepatitis C, more blood tests are taken in order to check that the liver is functioning correctly. Lastly, a liver biopsy may be recommended by the doctor or physician in order to check for liver

There are many tests to determine which genotype the patient has. Genotype tests are not necessary because treatment has nothing to do with the strain of the virus and also these tests are very expensive (Turkington 11). Hepatitis C, though it has a wide diversity, is a very deadly virus because it attacks a very important organ, the liver.

Since people infected with hepatitis C seldom have any symptoms, laboratory tests are conducted to further confirm and diagnose one with hepatitis C. The initial laboratory test to diagnose

HCV is an enveloped single stranded RNA virus and belongs to the genus Hepacivirus of the family Flaviviridae (Irshad el al., 2013). Analysis has identified 6 different types of HCV genotypes numbered 1 to 6 (Pawlotsky, 2003). Genotype 1 is the common type of HCV currently in the United States (Irshad el al., 2013). Differentiating between the genotypes when determining the which antiviral regimen to treat the patient with. Humans are the only known natural host for HCV (Pawlotsky, 2003). HCV is a non-cytopathic virus that enters the liver cell and replicates causing hepatocytes necrosis by several mechanisms by immune mediated cytolysis and metabolic changes including hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress and insulin resistance

Interferon alpha (IFN -a) has been considered the only option available for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) with sustained remission in about 20-25% of cases (Poynard et al., 1998). In recent years, it has been established that the combination of IFN-a with ribavirin (RIBA) may increase the biochemical and virological response rates in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients to about 40%. Currently the combination therapy of IFN-and RIBA is the first line treatment in patients (Bergamini et al., 2001). Interferon is a low molecular weight glycoprotein cytokines produced by host cells in response to viral infections. Interferon bind to specific cell surface receptors and effect viral replication at multiple steps: viral penetration, synthesis

The cause of HCV, is a spherical, enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Flaviviridae family and Flavivirus genus. The natural targets of HCV are hepatocytes and, possibly, B-lymphocytes. Lauer and Walker reported that HCV is closely related to hepatitis G. HCV can produce at least 10 trillion new viral particles

Over time, many people have conducted extensive research and spent strenuous hours analyzing the infamous disease known as Hepatitis A. This had to lead to presume many different conclusions and theories about the facts that were deduced from their arduous research. The various researchers who conducted the experiments are old, however, they bore fruitful results and were not in vain. This can be witnessed through the numerous treatments for hepatitis. Hepatitis continues to be a mild problem today, however not nearly as it was before advances in technology and the medical field. These advances allowed adequate research to come to fruition, therefore, hepatitis has receded into the lesser diseases. However, it still poses a threat today despite modern advancements.

HCV-RNA levels were analyzed by real time polymerase chain reaction using a commercial kit (Bioer, Technology Co., Ltd) according to the manufacturer's instructions.