Hepatitis C-The Hep Sea

Question 1

What is the sense and nucleic acid for Hepatitis C

Answer 1

Positive sense RNA virus

Question 2

What is the state of envelope in Hepatitis C

Answer 2

Viral envelope

Question 3

What family is the Hepatitis C virus part of

Answer 3

Flavivirus

Question 4

What are the commonly seen clinical presentations in infections with Hepatitis C

Answer 4

Hepatitis

Question 5

How is Hepatitis C commonly acquired

Answer 5

Contact with contaminated blood, usually through blood transfusions (in the 70’s and 80’s), IV users, placental, sexual, and breast feeding

Question 6

What allows the Hepatitis C virus to escape the immune system

Answer 6

Antigenic variation due to the miskeys in proofreading via the viral exonuclease, where there are frequent mutations in the 3-5 direction

Question 7

What conditions does chronic Hepatitis C infection lead to

Answer 7

Hepatitis, followed by cirrhosis/jaundice, with the possibility of forming hepatocellular carcinoma

Question 8

Which cancer is associated with Hepatitis C

Answer 8

Hepatocellular carcinoma

Question 9

What are the blood levels that are normally seen in an acute infection of Hepatitis C

Answer 9

RNA in the serum for the first 6 months only, ALT will rise and then fall

Question 10

What is a diagnostic tool that can be used to diagnose Hepatitis C

Answer 10

Cryoglobulins that precipitate with IgM

Question 11

What is the treatment for Hepatitis C

Answer 11

Ribavirin with interferon alpha

-polymerase inhibitor/protease inhibator

Question 12

In particular, which antibodies will be present in both an acute and chronic Hepatitis C infection

Answer 12

Anti-HCG