HCV Cassette Rapid Test/ One-step HCV Rapid Test StripHepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single stranded RNA virus of the Flaviviridae
family and is the causative agent of Hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is a chronic
disease affecting approximately 130-170 million people worldwide.
According to the WHO, annually, more than 350,000 people die from
hepatitis C-related liver diseases and 3-4 million people are infected with
HCV. Approximately 3% of the world's population is estimated to be infected
with HCV. More than 80% of HCV-infected individuals develop chronic liver
diseases, 20-30% develop cirrhosis after 20-30 yr, and 1-4% die from
cirrhosis or liver cancer. Individuals infected with HCV produce antibodies
to the virus and the presence of these antibodies in the blood indicates
present or past infection with HCV.
Conventional methods fail to isolate the virus in cell culture or visualize it by
electron microscope. Cloning the viral genome has made it possible to
develop serologic assays that use recombinant antigens. Compared to the
first generation HCV EIAs using single recombinant antigen, multiple
antigens using recombinant protein and/or synthetic peptides have been
added in new serologic tests to avoid nonspecific cross-reactivity and to
increase the sensitivity of the HCV antibody tests.
Complaint
