Significance of specific antibody assay for genotyping of hepatitis C virus

• Published in: Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) Vol. 19; no. 6; p. 1347
• Main Authors: Tanaka, T, Tsukiyama-Kohara, K, Yamaguchi, K, Yagi, S, Tanaka, S, Hasegawa, A, Ohta, Y, Hattori, N, Kohara, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.06.1994
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Amino Acid Sequence; Antigens, Viral - chemistry; Antigens, Viral - genetics; Antigens, Viral - immunology; Base Sequence; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epitopes - chemistry; Epitopes - genetics; Epitopes - immunology; Female; Genotype; Hepacivirus - classification; Hepacivirus - genetics; Hepacivirus - immunology; Hepatitis Antibodies - blood; Hepatitis C - microbiology; Hepatitis C Antibodies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Recombinant Proteins - chemistry; Recombinant Proteins - genetics; Recombinant Proteins - immunology; Sensitivity and Specificity; Viral Nonstructural Proteins - chemistry; Viral Nonstructural Proteins - genetics; Viral Nonstructural Proteins - immunology
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840190605

Group I and II hepatitis C virus genotypes were determined by a newly developed serological genotyping assay. This assay detected antibodies against group-specific recombinant proteins in the putative NS4 protein region (amino acid no. 1676-1760) by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This region of the hepatitis C virus peptide has many group-specific amino acids; fewer than 50% of these amino acids are identical between groups I and II. Genotypes determined by the serological genotyping assay were compared with those determined by a method in which the polymerase chain reaction was used in 91 chronic hepatitis patients. The group-specific polymerase chain reaction was performed within the genome region corresponding to the putative NS5 protein, where the group II hepatitis C virus genome is 57 nucleotides longer than that of group I. Among 91 chronic hepatitis C patients who had positive results in the second-generation hepatitis C virus antibody (core and NS3 region) assay, hepatitis C virus RNA was detected in 80 patients by polymerase chain reaction in the 5' untranslated region and in 78 patients by this group-specific polymerase chain reaction. As a result, in 76 of 91 patients (84%) genotypes determined by the serological genotyping assay showed complete agreement with those determined by the group-specific polymerase chain reaction, and none of the patients revealed a group opposite to that of hepatitis C virus genotype. The detection rate of the serological genotyping assay (89 of 91; 98%) was even higher than that of the polymerase chain reaction assay (78 of 91; 86%).