Detection of hepatitis C virus antibody by first and second generation assays and polymerase chain reaction in patients with autoimmune chronic active hepatitis types I, II, and III

In this study we have attempted to classify a group of North American patients with autoimmune chronic hepatitis into types I, II, and III according to the class of autoantibody present in serum, and determine the prevalence and significance of antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). A total of 62 patients (type I, 51; type II, 3; type III, 8) were tested with first-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assy (ELISA)-1