A rapid, low-cost quantitative diagnostic method for hepatitis C virus infection using capillary zone electrophoresis

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA amplification is time-consuming and expensive.
• Existing diagnostic methods for HCV lack cost-effectiveness and speed.
• A need exists for rapid, affordable, and sensitive HCV detection methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) detection.
• To evaluate the efficacy of CZE in various biological samples.
• To establish a reliable and rapid diagnostic tool for HCV infection.

Main Methods:

• Developed a CZE method to detect a specific peak in HCV-infected individuals' serum and other body fluids.
• Utilized biochemical treatments (RNase, DNase, chymotrypsin) to characterize the HCV peak.
• Employed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for morphological analysis of the detected particles.
• Correlated CZE-HCV results with quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Main Results:

• The CZE method detected a distinct peak in HCV-infected samples, absent in healthy or HBV-infected individuals.
• TEM analysis revealed virus-like particles consistent with non-enveloped HCV nucleocapsids.
• CZE-HCV results showed a strong correlation (r=0.92, p<0.0001) with qRT-PCR HCV-RNA levels.
• Serum samples stored at -20°C maintained peak integrity for up to one year.

Conclusions:

• Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) successfully detects Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in microliter volumes of various body fluids.
• The CZE-HCV test is rapid (<15 min), cost-effective, and suitable for quantitative diagnosis.
• This method represents a significant advancement for the diagnosis and management of HCV infection.