Health & Medicine
New Hepatitis C Test Screens For Virus In One Step
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Nov 15, 2015 06:36 PM EST
Researchers at UC Irvine Health have developed a cost-effective, one-step test that screens, detects and confirms the hepatitis c (HCV)--providing a more advanced version than the current blood-based HCV testing that requires two steps and is rather expensive.
The current HCV test cannot distinguish between active infection and previous infection--requiring both a blood sample in a two-step process. First, virus-specific antibodies must be detect in the blood and then HCV RNA PCR test must be administered to determine whether or not the infection is active, researchers say. Unfortunately, because of this, many developing countries are not equipped to administer the two-step test--costing around $200 in the United States. However, the new version would significantly reduce this cost, as well as the time required to obtain test results.
"The ability to detect infection using urine rather than blood avoids needle stick and blood sample collection, greatly reduces the cost and necessary clinical infrastructure for screening and diagnosis, helping to promote widespread adoption of the test on a global scale," Dr. Ke-Qin Hu, director of hepatology services, said in a news release. "Those who are HCV infected can now be cured, before a further liver injury and complications develop, but only if they are diagnosed."
Unfortunately, for many with HCV, symptoms from infection come after things have become more serious--including a potentially serious liver injury, such as fibrosis, cirrhosis or even liver cancer. The CDC currently recommends screening tests for high-risk patients, including intravenous drug users, and individuals who had blood transfusions before 1992, as well as those born between 1945 and 1965.
Statistics show that hepatitis C affects 130 to 150 million people globally, accounting for approximately 500,000 deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The virus is bloodborne and the most common modes of infection are transmitted via unsafe injection practices.
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TagsHealth, Human, Hepatitis C, World Health Organization, WHO, Injection, Blood, Screening, test, Study, Expensive, HCV, Hepatitis ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
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First Posted: Nov 15, 2015 06:36 PM EST
Researchers at UC Irvine Health have developed a cost-effective, one-step test that screens, detects and confirms the hepatitis c (HCV)--providing a more advanced version than the current blood-based HCV testing that requires two steps and is rather expensive.
The current HCV test cannot distinguish between active infection and previous infection--requiring both a blood sample in a two-step process. First, virus-specific antibodies must be detect in the blood and then HCV RNA PCR test must be administered to determine whether or not the infection is active, researchers say. Unfortunately, because of this, many developing countries are not equipped to administer the two-step test--costing around $200 in the United States. However, the new version would significantly reduce this cost, as well as the time required to obtain test results.
"The ability to detect infection using urine rather than blood avoids needle stick and blood sample collection, greatly reduces the cost and necessary clinical infrastructure for screening and diagnosis, helping to promote widespread adoption of the test on a global scale," Dr. Ke-Qin Hu, director of hepatology services, said in a news release. "Those who are HCV infected can now be cured, before a further liver injury and complications develop, but only if they are diagnosed."
Unfortunately, for many with HCV, symptoms from infection come after things have become more serious--including a potentially serious liver injury, such as fibrosis, cirrhosis or even liver cancer. The CDC currently recommends screening tests for high-risk patients, including intravenous drug users, and individuals who had blood transfusions before 1992, as well as those born between 1945 and 1965.
Statistics show that hepatitis C affects 130 to 150 million people globally, accounting for approximately 500,000 deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The virus is bloodborne and the most common modes of infection are transmitted via unsafe injection practices.
Related Articles
FDA Approves First Combination Pill 'Harvoni' to Treat Hepatitis C
FDA Sanctions New Drug for Hepatitis C Virus
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone