Open AccessUpdate on hepatitis B and C virus diagnosis
Author(s) -
Villar Lm,
Cruz Hm,
Jakeline Ribeiro Barbosa,
Bezerra Cs,
Portilho Mm,
Scalioni Lde P
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
world journal of virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2220-3249
DOI - 10.5501/wjv.v4.i4.323
Subject(s) - medicine , serology , hepatitis b virus , virology , transmission (telecommunications) , hepatitis c virus , virus , immunology , antibody , disease , sexual transmission , hepatitis b , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , microbicide , electrical engineering , engineering
Viral hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV) are responsible for the most of chronic liver disease worldwide and are transmitted by parenteral route, sexual and vertical transmission. One important measure to reduce the burden of these infections is the diagnosis of acute and chronic cases of HBV and HCV. In order to provide an effective diagnosis and monitoring of antiviral treatment, it is important to choose sensitive, rapid, inexpensive, and robust analytical methods. Primary diagnosis of HBV and HCV infection is made by using serological tests for detecting antigens and antibodies against these viruses. In order to confirm primary diagnosis, to quantify viral load, to determine genotypes and resistance mutants for antiviral treatment, qualitative and quantitative molecular tests are used. In this manuscript, we review the current serological and molecular methods for the diagnosis of hepatitis B and C.