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Synthetic Viral Particles Promise To Be Valuable in the Standardization of Molecular Diagnostic Assays for Hepatitis C Virus

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Clinical Laboratories, MC 812, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN 55415, and, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, Fax 612-904-4229, E-mail charles.cartwright@co.hennepin.mn.us

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a primarily parenterally transmitted pathogen first discovered in the late 1980s. Infection with HCV is common throughout the world, and disease attributable to this virus is a major public health issue in both developed and developing countries. In the United States alone, ~4 million individuals are infected with HCV, with an estimated 30 000 new infections occurring annually (1). Of those infected by this virus, between 70% and 90% develop chronic HCV infection (compared with only 10–20% of those infected with hepatitis B virus), and 20–30% of chronically infected patients progress to liver disease (liver failure, cirrhosis, and/or hepatocellular carcinoma) within 20–30 years (2). Given these statistics and the lack of an effective vaccine, it is not surprising that the morbidity and mortality attributable to HCV are considerable and on the increase. HCV is responsible for 8000–10 000 deaths per year in the United States, a figure that some experts postulate will triple in the next 10–20 years, and chronic HCV infection is the single most common etiology of hepatic injury in patients undergoing liver transplantation (1).

The discovery of HCV in 1989 represents one of the most important accomplishments of molecular biotechnology. An infectious agent that had never been seen or cultured was discovered by cloning fragments of its genome from clinical material; the entire genetic and biochemical composition of the virus was then reconstructed in vitro (3). HCV is a member of the Flaviviridae family of viruses and possesses a single-stranded RNA genome of some 9.5 kb. The RNA sequence contains a single open reading frame and encodes a viral precursor protein of ~3000 amino acids that undergoes posttranslational processing to form six proteins. The HCV genome also contains two untranslated regions, one of 351 . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:

				Y. Cheng, J. Niu, Y. Zhang, J. Huang, and Q. Li Preparation of His-Tagged Armored RNA Phage Particles as a Control for Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus. J. Clin. Microbiol., October 1, 2006; 44(10): 3557 - 3561. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Siebers How Accurate Are References in Clinical Chemistry? Clin. Chem., March 1, 2001; 47(3): 606 - 607. [Full Text] [PDF]