HCV core-antigen assay as an alternative to HCV RNA quantification: A correlation study for the assessment of HCV viremia

Alonso, Roberto; Pérez-García, Felipe; López-Roa, Paula; Alcalá, Luís; Rodeño, Pilar; Bouza, Emilio

doi:10.1016/j.eimc.2016.11.013

Cited by 28 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This gives a speci city of 100% and a sensitivity of 90.7%. A lower detection rate compared to HCV RNA is consistent with previous studies [7], [9], [10], [17], [19]. Both HCV Ag and HCR RNA tests showed a signi cant correlation, with Spearmen test coe cient of 0.833 (p<0.001).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…In view of the 100% speci city, only HCV Ag negative results require further evaluation by HCV RNA. This would con rm the active infections and determine those who are potential candidates for DAA treatment [19], [24]- [26].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on our study, HCV Ag provides a suitable alternative to HCV RNA due to its lower cost and fast analytical process (within 40 mins) and therefore, short turnaround time [15], [19], [23]. We suggest initial screening by Anti-HCV Ab followed by HCV Ag test for seropositive HD cohorts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hepatitis C Core Antigen Testing to Diagnose Active Hepatitis C Infection Among Haemodialysis Patients

Wong

Gan

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BACKGROUNDHepatitis C virus (HCV) infects more than 71 million people worldwide and chronic HCV infection increases the risk of liver cirrhosis and failure. Haemodialysis (HD) is one of the renal replacement therapies with risk of HCV transmission. Anti-HCV antibodies are the serological screening test for HCV infection that does not detect active phase of infection. Majority HCV infected HD patients in Malaysia do not have further HCV RNA performed due to high cost and thus HCV treatment is less frequently offered. HCV Core Antigen (HCV Ag) can potentially be used to diagnose active HCV infection in HD population in comparison to HCV RNA, at lower cost. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the correlation between HCV Ag and HCV RNA and to identify the prevalence of active HCV infection among HCV seropositive HD patients from dialysis centres across West Malaysia from July 2019 to May 2020. Pre-dialysis blood was taken and tested for both HCV Ag and HCV RNA tests. HCV Ag was tested with Abbott ARCHITECT HCV Ag test.RESULTS We recruited 112 seropositive HD patients from 17 centres with mean age of 54.04±11.62 years, HD vintage of 14.1±9.7 years, and male constitute 59.8% (67) of the study population. HCV Ag correlates well with HCV RNA (Spearman test coefficient 0.833, p<0.001). The sensitivity was 90.7%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) 100%, negative predictive value (NPV) 76.5%, and accuracy 92.9%. For HCV RNA level >3000 IU/mL, HCV Ag had a higher sensitivity of 95.1% and greater correlation (Spearman test coefficient 0.897, p<0.001). The prevalence of active HCV infection was 76.8% among HCV seropositive HD patients. CONCLUSIONS Although HCV Ag is less sensitive, it shows an excellent correlation with HCV RNA and has 100% PPV. HCV Ag can be considered as an alternative diagnostic tool for chronic active HCV infection among HD cohort, who can then be considered for HCV treatment. For seropositive HD patient with negative HCV Ag, we recommend to follow-up with HCV RNA test.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Hepatitis C Core Antigen Testing to Diagnose Active Hepatitis C Infection Among Haemodialysis Patients

Wong

Gan

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This gives a speci city of 100% and a sensitivity of 90.7%. A lower detection rate compared to HCV RNA is consistent with previous studies [5], [7], [8], [13], [15]. Both HCV Ag and HCR RNA tests showed a signi cant correlation, with Spearmen test coe cient of 0.833 (p < 0.001).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hepatitis C Core Antigen Testing to Diagnose Active Hepatitis C Infection Among Haemodialysis Patients

Wong

Gan

Mohamed

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects more than 185 million people worldwide and chronic HCV infection increases the risk of liver cirrhosis and failure. Haemodialysis (HD) is one of the renal replacement therapies with risk of HCV transmission. Anti-HCV antibodies had been the serological screening test for HCV infection that does not detect active phase of infection. Majority HCV infected HD patients in Malaysia do not have further HCV RNA performed due to high cost and subsequently less HCV treatment offered. HCV Core Antigen (HCV Ag) can potentially be used to diagnose active HCV infection in HD population in replace of HCV RNA, which costs lesser. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the correlation between HCV Ag and HCV RNA and to identify the prevalence of active HCV infection among HCV seropositive HD patients from dialysis centres across West Malaysia from July 2019 to May 2020. Pre-dialysis blood was taken and tested for both HCV Ag and HCV RNA tests. HCV Ag was tested with Abbott ARCHITECT HCV Ag test. RESULTS We recruited 112 seropositive HD patients from 17 centres with mean age of 54.04±11.62 years, HD vintage of 14.1±9.7 years, and male constitute 59.8% (67) of the study population. HCV Ag correlates well with HCV RNA (Spearman test coefficient 0.833, p < 0.001). The sensitivity was 90.7%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) 100%, negative predictive value (NPV) 76.5%, and accuracy 92.9%. For HCV RNA level > 3000 IU/mL, HCV Ag had a higher sensitivity of 95.1% and greater correlation (Spearman test coefficient 0.897, p < 0.001). The prevalence of active HCV infection was 76.8% among HCV seropositive HD patients. CONCLUSIONS Although HCV Ag is less sensitive, it shows an excellent correlation with HCV RNA and has 100% PPV. HCV Ag can be considered as an alternative diagnostic tool for acute or chronic active HCV infection among HD cohort, who can then be considered for HCV treatment.

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HCV core antigen plays an important role in the fight against HCV as an alternative to HCV‐RNA detection

Wang

Jiang

et al. 2021

Clinical Laboratory Analysis

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Objective: To discuss the clinical significance of HCV-cAg testing in the diagnosis, activity determination, and monitoring of therapeutic effectiveness of HCV infection and its advantages compared with HCV-RNA and anti-HCV antibodies detection. Methods:By summarizing the published literature, the advantages and significance of HCV core antigen detection were sought.Results: The expression of HCV-cAg is highly consistent with that of HCV-RNA, but compared with HCV-RNA, detection of HCV-cAg is easy to operate, time saving, and low cost. HCV-cAg can be detected within 12~15 days after infection, and the window period can be shortened by5~7 weeks. HCV-cAg is a serological indicator of virus replication, which can distinguish previous infection of HCV or current infection.HCV-cAg detection is more suitable for immunocompromised, hemodialysis, organ transplant patients. HCV-cAg also can be used to monitor antiviral efficacy and predict sustained virological response (SVR). Conclusion:HCV core antigen has similar clinical sensitivity to NAT and can be used as a substitute for HCV-RNA in the diagnosis of virus infection. Combined detection of HCV-cAg and antibody serology can help doctors detect HCV infection earlier, accurately diagnose different stages of HCV infection, and evaluate the therapeutic effect of antiviral drugs, which are beneficial in the prevention and treatment of hepatitis C.

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HCV core-antigen assay as an alternative to HCV RNA quantification: A correlation study for the assessment of HCV viremia

Cited by 28 publications

References 14 publications

Hepatitis C Core Antigen Testing to Diagnose Active Hepatitis C Infection Among Haemodialysis Patients

Hepatitis C Core Antigen Testing to Diagnose Active Hepatitis C Infection Among Haemodialysis Patients

Hepatitis C Core Antigen Testing to Diagnose Active Hepatitis C Infection Among Haemodialysis Patients

HCV core antigen plays an important role in the fight against HCV as an alternative to HCV‐RNA detection

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