[Antibody responses to consensus sequence of hypervariable region 1 from hepatitis C virus protein E2 in relation to...

Three overlapping peptides containing linear B-cell epitopes and corresponding to the consensus sequence of hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) from protein E2 were studied for their capacity to interact with the sera from patients with acute and chronic hepatitis C. Antibodies to these peptides are detectable with the comparable frequency in both acute and chronic hepatitis C viral infection, other than after viral elimination. A relationship of the outcome of acute Infection to the presence or absence of antibodies to the test peptides has not been established. The level of antibodies against protein E2 HVR1 C-terminus is significantly higher in chronic hepatitis C.