BACKGROUND End-stage renal disease patients on chronic hemodialysis are among high risk groups for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection for whom routine HCV screening is recommended. Anti-HCV antibody (ab) testing may not be reliable to detect all infected cases because of the blunted ab response due to depressed immune state in these patients. Using a more reliable, cost-effective and non-complex...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection is common among HIV-infected patients; its treatment is not affordable in resource-limited settings. This study aimed to compare the morbidity, mortality, immunological and virological outcomes of antiretroviral therapy (ART) between HIV-infected patients with and without HCV co-infection in a setting where HCV infection is rarely treated. A retrospective co...

Background: End stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis could be at a higher risk of acquiring viral infections such as hepatitis B, C (HBV, HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The study investigated the prevalence HBV, HCV, HIV identified determinants these among end Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH). Methods: This retrospective hospital-based record review was c...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major medical challenge affecting around 200 million people worldwide. The main site of HCV replication is the hepatocytes of the liver. HCV is a positive enveloped RNA virus from the flaviviridae family. Six major HCV genotypes are implicated in the human infection. In developed countries the children are infected mainly through vertical transmission duri...

BACKGROUND Symmetric polyarthritis associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection frequently displays a clinical picture like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) have high specificity for the diagnosis of RA. This study examined the frequency and clinical significance of anti-CCP antibodies in patients with chronic HCV infection, with and without manif...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global problem. To better understand HCV infection researchers employ in vitro HCV cell-culture (HCVcc) systems that use Huh-7 derived hepatoma cells that are particularly permissive to HCV infection. A variety of hyper-permissive cells have been subcloned for this purpose. In addition, subclones of Huh-7 which have evolved resistance to HCV are available. However, ...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a hepatotropic and lymphotropic virus that causes hepatic and extrahepatic disease. Emerging clinical data suggest that chronic HCV infection can lead to many direct and indirect effects on the lung. OBJECTIVES This article discusses evidence on the relationship between HCV infection and pulmonary fibrosis to increase knowledge on this topic among clinici...

BACKGROUND Since 2000 outbreaks of sexually transmitted hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections have been reported among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM). We studied the prevalence and determinants of HCV-infection among MSM attending a large sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic in the Netherlands. METHODS In 2007-2008, 3125 attendees of the STI clinic Amsterdam, including 689 M...

The aim of this study is to explore the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among injection drug users (IDUs) with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in southern Taiwan. For 562 IDUs (265 anti-HIV negative, 297 anti-HIV positive), we analyzed liver function, anti-HIV antibody, anti-HCV antibody, HCV viral loads, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). HIV RNA ...

The threshold for testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) should be low for persons with any risk factor for HCV infection. Current practice calls for first screening for antibodies to HCV and then testing for HCV RNA in those in whom antibodies are detected. Viral testing can distinguish between active and resolved HCV infection and also determine viral load, which can help predict response to ant...