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Hepatitis C test: immunoblotting for antibodies to HCV proteins in blood
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
Antibodies to HCV are normally absent.
The ELISA method used to determine antibodies to HCV is a screening method. In case of a positive result, the immunoblotting method (Western-blot) is used to confirm its specificity - counter precipitation in a gel of antibodies in the patient's blood serum with various viral proteins separated by molecular weight using electrophoresis and applied to nitrocellulose. The study is considered positive if antibodies to two or more HCV proteins with an intensity of +1 are detected. Antibodies to the proteins core, NS 1 NS 2, NS 3, NS 4 , NS 5 are specific for viral hepatitis C.
Immunoblotting for (viral hepatitis C) HCV serves as a confirmatory test for the specificity of the ELISA method.
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