Surreptitious Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection Detected in the Majority of Patients with Cryptogenic Chronic Hepatitis and Negative HCV Antibody Tests

Warren N Schmidt; Ping Wu; Jean Cederna; Frank A Mitros; Douglas R LaBrecque; Jack T Stapleton

doi:10.1086/514033

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Surreptitious Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection Detected in the Majority of Patients with Cryptogenic Chronic Hepatitis and Negative HCV Antibody Tests

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Surreptitious Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection Detected in the Majority of Patients with Cryptogenic Chronic Hepatitis and Negative HCV Antibody Tests

Warren N Schmidt, Ping Wu, Jean Cederna, Frank A Mitros, Douglas R LaBrecque and Jack T Stapleton

The Journal of infectious diseases, Vol.176(1), pp.27-33

07/1997

DOI: 10.1086/514033

PMID: 9207346

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Abstract

Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to identify hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in peripheral whole blood (WB) and plasma samples from 15 patients with chronic, unexplained hepatitis. These patients were serologically negative for hepatitis A, B, and C and were classified as having chronic non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis (NANBNC). HCV RNA was repeatedly detected in WB samples from 10 (67%). In contrast, plasma samples from only 5 were intermittently positive. Statistically, HCV RNA detection in WB was significantly more sensitive than in plasma. Nucleic acid hybridization and HCV genotypic analysis confirmed the specificity of the HCV RNA assay. Liver biopsies from these patients suggested histopathologic differences between HCV RNA-positive and -negative groups. These data demonstrate that HCV infection is present in patients with unexplained chronic hepatitis more frequently than previously believed. Additionally, WB HCV RNA detection is more sensitive than plasma assays in identifying antibody-negative HCV infection.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Surreptitious Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection Detected in the Majority of Patients with Cryptogenic Chronic Hepatitis and Negative HCV Antibody Tests
Creators: Warren N Schmidt - Department of Internal Medicine and Pathology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, and VA Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa
Ping Wu - Department of Internal Medicine and Pathology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, and VA Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa
Jean Cederna - Department of Internal Medicine and Pathology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, and VA Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa
Frank A Mitros - Department of Internal Medicine and Pathology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, and VA Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa
Douglas R LaBrecque - Department of Internal Medicine and Pathology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, and VA Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa
Jack T Stapleton - Department of Internal Medicine and Pathology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, and VA Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: The Journal of infectious diseases, Vol.176(1), pp.27-33
DOI: 10.1086/514033
PMID: 9207346
NLM abbreviation: J Infect Dis
ISSN: 0022-1899
eISSN: 1537-6613
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
Language: English
Date published: 07/1997
Academic Unit: Microbiology and Immunology; Infectious Diseases; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Pathology; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984094624902771

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