Comparative results in detection of HCV antibodies by using a rapid HCV test, ELISA and immunoblot.

Viral hepatitis C is a major problem of post-transfusion hepatitis. The best measure for preventing hepatitis C infection in transfusion is blood donor screening. There are many methods for detecting hepatitis C virus antibodies. ELISA is one of the sensitive screening methods. However it needs equipment, technical skills and it is time consuming. The Genelabs Diagnostics HCV-SPOT is a simple, rapid test for the detection of anti-HCV. This paper reports comparative results in detection of HCV antibodies by using GLD HCV-SPOT, ELISA and GLD/DBL HCV BLOT. One hundred and ninety-two specimens from blood donors patients with chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, hepatoma and miscellaneous chronic liver diseases were tested by HCV-spot assay and HCV ELISA. The positive specimens were confirmed by the immunoblot assay. Only one of 140 samples negative by HCV-SPOT was positive by ELISA. The sensitivity and specificity of HCV-SPOT assays were 97.6% and 92.6% respectively. The positive predictive value was 78.8%, negative predictive value was 99.3%, accuracy was 93.6%. The rapid HCV-SPOT assay can be used in the management of transplantation graft procedures or emergency blood screening for transfusion. In addition, it can be used in small, local hospitals without any expensive equipment.