Hepatitis Viruses Flashcards
When are HCV antibodies detectable after infection with HCV?
6-8 weeks
Even though ELISAs are highly specific, what is one major limitation?
They can’t distinguish chronic from acute infection
Is liver biopsy used to diagnose HCV infection?
No. it’s only used before antiviral therapy to evaluate the extent of HCV liver damage
In which way is HDV unique?
It is a defective virus meaning it’s an incomplete virus requiring presence of HBV to replicate and infect hepatocytes.
Differentiate the following terms: “superinfection” vs. “co-infection”.
Superinfection: getting infected with one strain of an organism then after a while getting infected with a different strain of the same organism
Co-infection: getting infected with two different strains of the same organism at the same time from the start of the infection
What accounts for HBV’s cytopathologic effects?
It’s not direct, but due to immune complexes and resulting immune response
How many genotypes does HBV have?
8 (A to H)
What kind of genome does HBV have?
Partially double stranded DNA
Name the antigens HBV has [3]. Where is each antigen located on the virus?
HBsAg (surface antigen) - on the envelope
HBeAg (e antigen) - in the core
HBcAg (core antigen) - in the core and nucleocapsid
Name the types of HBsAg. [4].
adw
adr
ayw
ayr
How does the rate of infection in children below 5 yrs and children above 5 years differ in chronic and acute HBV infections?
ACUTE INFECTION
children below 5 have <10% chance of acquiring
children above 5 have 30-50% chance
CHRONIC INFECTION
children below 5 have 30-90% chance
children above 5 have 2-10% chance
Children below 5 are mostly likely to get chronic infection whereas children above 5 yrs are likely to get acute infection
Which HCV genotypes have the worst prognosis?
Genotypes 1-4
Which HBV genotype is associated with rapid progression? poor response to therapy?
C is associated with rapid progression
D is associated with poor response to therapy
Persistence of HBsAg for more than 6 months is an indication of what type of HCV infection?
chronic
The presence of which antigen without other antigens being present, indicates the patient is a carrier?
HBeAg
