johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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 Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 10:41 pm Post subject: |
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Dear 12 monkeys,
Which test?
1. "Anti-HCV tests detect the presence of antibodies to the virus, indicating exposure to HCV. These tests cannot tell if you still have an active viral infection, only that you were exposed to the virus in the past. Usually, the test is reported as �positive� or �negative.� There is some evidence that, if your test is �weakly positive,� it may not mean that you have been exposed to the HCV virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its guidelines in 2003 and suggests that weakly positive tests be confirmed with the next test before being reported."
Or
2. "HCV RIBA test is an additional test to confirm the presence of antibodies to the virus. In most cases, it can tell if the positive anti-HCV test was due to exposure to HCV (positive RIBA) or represents a false signal (negative RIBA). In a few cases, the results cannot answer this question (indeterminate RIBA). Like the anti-HCV test, the RIBA test cannot tell if you are currently infected, only that you have been exposed to the virus."
Or:
3. "HCV-RNA test identifies whether the virus is in your blood, indicating that you have an active infection with HCV. In the past, it was usually performed by a test called a qualitative HCV. Qualitative HCV RNA is reported as a �positive� or �detected� if any HCV viral RNA is found; otherwise, the report will be �negative� or �not detected�. The test may also be used after treatment to see if the virus has been eliminated from the body."
http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/hepc_test.html
Regards,
John |
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