Hepatitis C Virus Antibody

Order SHCV if test required is HCV Screen.

HCV

HEPC2G
HEP C

1.0 mL collected in a SST (serum seprator-gold top tube)

0.5 mL

Tiger top (SST)
Gold top (SST)
Red top
Plasma – Li Heparin (PST)
Plasma – Na Heparin
Plasma –EDTA (Lavender)

Room temperature

Room Temperature: 3 days at 25°C
Refrigerated: 7 days at 2-8°C
Frozen: 3 months at ­20°C
The samples may be frozen and thawed up to 6 times.

Samples not labeled with complete first and last name and date of birth.
 Hemolyzed samples.
Samples collected in sodium citrate plasma

Sun - Sat

Same day

Non-reactive

The qualitative detection of total antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in human adult and pediatric ages 18 months through 21 years) serum or plasma. Assay results, in conjunction with other laboratory results and clinical information, may be used to aid in the presumptive diagnosis of HCV infection in persons with signs and symptoms of hepatitis and in persons at risk for hepatitis C infection. The test does not determine the state of infection or associated disease.
Hepatitis C virus, first identified in 1989, is the most common cause of posttransfusion and community-acquired non-A, non-B hepatitis worldwide. Hepatitis C is primarily transmitted through contaminated blood and blood products and to a lower extent by human body secretions.
Infection with HCV frequently leads to chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis, and is associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Common extrahepatic manifestations comprise mixed cryoglobulinemia and rheumatic diseases. Hepatitis C virus is an enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus which has been classified as a genus in the family of Flaviviridae. Like other RNA viruses, the HCV genome exhibits substantial heterogeneity as a result of mutations that occur during viral replication.