Comparative characteristics of a test system for detecting antibodies to hepatitis C virus

: The sensitivities and specificities of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kits for the detection of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) were compared in donor blood screening. A total of 3308 donors were examined using Akvapast immunodiagnosticum (St. Petersburg), lot 12. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 43 (1.3%) subjects. Blood sera of these donors were additionally investigated using other lots of Akvapast, Hepascan (Bioservice, Moscow), Blot-0.5 (Bioservice, Moscow), and immunoComb (France). The studies demonstrated that none of the agents used can be acknowledged as ideally sensitive and specific for the detection of anti-HCV antibodies. Maximally sensitive diagnostic kits should be preferred for the screening of donors of blood components and for other mass surveys. Highly-specific test systems are advisable for profound examinations and diagnostic monitoring. The creation of a system of reference and expert diagnosis of hepatitis C remains a pressing task.