Detection of HCV RNA in saliva, urine, seminal fluid, and ascites.

Approximately half of the patients with type C hepatitis do not have a history of parenteral exposure. The route of nonparenteral infection remains unknown. To evaluate the possible role of body fluids, the existence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in saliva, urine, seminal fluid, and ascites was examined by "nested" polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Amplification of the HCV 5' noncoding sequences was carried out. The amplified product was confirmed by Southern blot hybridization and restriction endonuclease digestion. Among 34 patients with chronic liver disease who were positive for anti-HCV and serum HCV RNA, the prevalence of HCV RNA in body fluids was 100% (7/7) in ascites, 48% (15/31) in saliva, 24% (4/17) in seminal fluid, and 7% (2/29) in urine. The body fluids collected from 3 healthy subjects and 5 patients with chronic liver disease who were positive for anti-HCV but negative for serum HCV RNA were all negative for HCV RNA. Hence, the potential infectivity of body fluids in patients testing negative for serum HCV RNA can probably be discounted. Conversely, the presence of HCV RNA in saliva and seminal fluid of patients positive for serum HCV RNA suggests sexual and household contact as likely modes of nonparenteral transmission of type C hepatitis. Furthermore, the high prevalence of HCV RNA in ascites and saliva may have important implications in medical and dental practice.     

利用双扩增聚合酶链反应检测非甲非乙型肝炎患者血清中丙型肝炎病毒RNA

利用丙型肝炎病毒（ＨＣＶ）５’－端序列合成两对引物，建立了灵敏、特异的ＨＣＶＲＮＡ双扩增聚合酶链反应检测方法。用此方法及第二代Ａｂｂｏｔｔ酶联抗－ＨＣＶ检测试剂盒，检测了４４例非甲非乙型肝炎患者血清及１０名抗－ＨＣＶ阴性健康人。在４４例患者中，４１例（９３％）ＨＣＶＲＮＡ阳性，３６例（８２％）抗－ＨＣＶ阳性，３３例（７５％）ＨＣＶＲＮＡ、抗－ＨＣＶ全部阳性。３例ＨＣＶＲＮＡ阴性，但抗－ＨＣＶ阳性，另外，有８例抗－ＨＣＶ阴性，ＨＣＶＲＮＡ阳性。１０名健康人ＨＣＶＲＮＡ均为阴性。结果表明，大部分（９２％）抗－ＨＣＶ阳性患者带有ＨＣＶ，但为了检测所有病毒血症患者，抗－ＨＣＶ检测是不够的，利用双扩增ＰＣＲ方法检测ＨＣＶＲＮＡ对于抗－ＨＣＶ阴性患者的诊断是非常有用的。     

Community prevalence of hepatitis C viraemia: A polymerase chain reaction study

In order to estimate the prevalence of HCV carriage in an inner city health district, we undertook a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based survey of sera collected from 1,002 patients attending general practitioners for reasons unrelated to liver disease. The series comprised 305 sample selected sera patients sample from sera 995 patients previously screened by C100 antigen-based anti-HCV tests. Overall, 7 patients were positive for HCV RNA. Four cases had anti-C100 antibodies to HCV, 2 were strictly negative but had high-normal/borderline optical densities by ELISA assay, while one was completely anti-HCV negative. All but one had normal liver function tests. Only 3/7 PCR positive cases had any serum marker for hepatitis B (HBV) exposure (2 HBsAg positive, 1 IgM anti-HBc positive). The minimum point prevalence of HCV carriage in this community is 0.7%, approximating the HBsAg carriage in the same population (1%). HCV carriage in this inner city population is considerably higher than would be predicted by blood donor surveys. A positive anti-HCV antibody (anti-C100) test is poorly predictive (～10%) of HCV RNA carriage in a general practice based population in which measurement of “surrogate” (HBV related) HCV markers would have detected only 3/7 cases of presumed chronic HCV carriage. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Hepatitis C virus RNA in saliva of patients with posttransfusion hepatitis and low efficiency of transmission among spouses.

In a prospective study of posttransfusion hepatitis, 14 patients who were diagnosed with posttransfusion hepatitis C were enrolled randomly for the study of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in saliva. Saliva and serum samples were collected on the same day. Spouses of 11 married patients were also tested for anti-C100 and HCV RNA. Paired serum and saliva samples were tested for HCV RNA by a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Two primer pairs specific for the non-coding region of HCV were used for the PCR and a oligonucleotide sequence between the primers was used as the probe for Southern hybridization. Six patients were positive for HCV RNA by first round PCR amplification and an additional four patients were detected after second round PCR. All patients were negative for HCV RNA in saliva after first round PCR, while seven were positive after second round PCR amplification. All seven patients were positive for HCV RNA in paired serum samples. HCV RNA was detectable in saliva from 1 week to 38 months after the onset of hepatitis. All spouses were negative for anti-C100 and HCV RNA. We conclude that HCV RNA is present in the saliva of approximately half of patients with acute and chronic hepatitis C, and the presence of HCV RNA correlates with HCV viremia. The efficiency of HCV transmission is low among spouses.     

血清中丙型肝炎NS3抗原ELISA检测方法的建立和初步应用

目的 评价血清中丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)游离NS3抗原的酶联免疫吸附(ELISA)检测方法的特异性和灵敏度,初步探讨该方法在临床应用中的意义.方法 对77例正常人血清标本,173例抗-HCV阳性标本和3708例抗-HCV阴性的其他类型肝炎血清标本检测HCV游离NS3抗原;对部分HCV NS3抗原阳性标本进行验证,包括HCV RNA测定、中和试验和免疫斑点试验;对11例患者的25份系列血清标本进行了HCV游离NS3抗原、HCV RNA和HCV抗体的联合检测,并结合临床资料综合分析.结果 3708例抗-HCV阴性的其他类型肝炎血清标本中有48例为HCV NS3抗原阳性,其中3030例单纯乙型肝炎和445例其他类型肝炎血清标本中分别有44例和4例为HCV NS3抗原阳性;173例HCV抗体阳性标本中有42例为HCV NS3抗原阳性;77例正常人血清标本的HCV NS3抗原检测结果均为阴性;15例HCV NS3抗原阳性标本中有9例为HCV RNA阳性;23例HCV NS3抗原阳性标本的中和率和免疫斑点试验的阳性率分别为87.0%和69.6%;25份系列血清标本的检测结果显示其HCV NS3抗原的吸光度值与时间呈负相关,并有2例HCV NS3抗原阳性标本随着血清中HCV NS3抗原的吸光度值下降,其HCV抗体转阳.结论 血清中HCV游离NS3抗原的ELISA检测方法有较好的特异性和敏感度,在发展中国家应用此方法进行HCV感染的早期诊断有一定的临床意义和推广价值.     

Serum hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA and response to alpha-interferon in anti-HCV positive chronic hepatitis.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication was assessed before and during alpha-interferon (IFN) treatment in 22 anti-HCV positive patients with posttransfusion or sporadic chronic hepatitis (CH). Eleven patients were "responders" and 11 patients "non-responders" to IFN. Thirteen anti-HCV negative healthy subjects and five anti-HCV negative patients with autoimmune CH served as controls. Serum HCV-RNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in all untreated anti-HCV positive patients but in none of the anti-HCV negative subjects. PCR primers from the 5'-noncoding (NC) region were more sensitive than primers from a non-structural (NS5) region in detecting HCV-RNA (21/22, 95% vs. 7/22, 32%, respectively). Positive strand HCV-RNA titre and positivity rate for the negative strand were similar in responders and non-responders before IFN treatment, as well as anti-c100-3 titre by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and anti-5-1-1, anti-c33c, anti-c22 positivity rate by immunoblot assay (RIBA). HCV-RNA positivity by both NC and NS primers was more frequent before IFN among responders. During IFN treatment, serum HCV-RNA was detectable, mostly at low titres, in 1 (NC positive) of the 11 responders and in 9 (4 NS positive and 5 NC positive) of the 11 non-responders. Among the four non-responders who were NS positive during IFN, three were NC positive before IFN. Serum HCV-RNA was always found in our post-transfusion or sporadic anti-HCV positive patients with CH. Viraemia generally decreased during IFN treatment, but no available HCV markers clearly distinguished responders from non-responders before IFN treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

丙型肝炎病毒不同基因型NS3蛋白的抗原异质性分析

目的探讨不同基因型丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)NS3蛋白的抗原特性及其用于抗-HCV检测的意义。方法分别构建和表达含有HCV1型和6型NS3基因片段的重组质粒和重组蛋白，以EIJSA法和Western blot分析不同基因型重组蛋白与已知抗-HCV阳性血清的抗原反应性。结果HCV1型和6型NS3重组蛋白氨基酸序列的同源性为83．2％；85份抗-HCV阳性血清以此不同基因型HCV NS3单片段抗原检测，阳性检出率分别为61．2％(1型)和58．8％(6型)，其中有7份标本以NS3-1型抗原检测阴性，但可被NS3-6型抗原检出，反之，有9份血清以NS3-6型重组蛋白检测为阴性，而NS3．1型检测阳性；54份大学生体检血清和39份阴性质控血清以此两种抗原检测均为阴性。结论HCV1型和6型NS3重组蛋白存在抗原异质性，在发展HCV抗体检测试剂时需考虑加入不同基因型的NS3抗原。