Effective detection of active HCV infection: HCV RNA carrier state in a context free of hepatitis symptoms

Abstract HCV immunological assays have limited specificity due to considerable variability of genomic coding sequences. Accordingly, PCR RNA detection also shows variable incidence of HCV in a non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis context. We used in-house designed nested PCR applying primers from the 5′ untranslated region in 150 thalassemic patients classified in four groups according to anti-HCV screening and glutamic-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) levels. Group A: anti-HCV + /high GPT levels; group B: anti-HCV + /normal GPT levels; group C: anti-HCV − /high GPT levels; group D: anti-HCV − /normal GPT levels. Viral incidence and concentration, both high in group A, decreased towards group D. Group C RNA incidence was unexpectedly high and, moreover, one control case proved HCV-RNA + . Compared with the Amplicor kit our primers were considerably more sensitive.