Hepatitis C RNA General Clinical Tests

Test Name Method	Hepatitis C RNA (HCV-RNA) Reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR)
Specimen Requirements	Plasma (ACD or EDTA; avoid heparin) Separate plasma and freeze -20° within 4 h of collection. Analysis should be within 2 weeks.
Ref. Range Conventional International Recommended Units	Negative
Chemical Interfaces In Vivo& Effects	Cross contamination with RNA from other specimens causing false positive is possible.
Diagnostic Information	See Hepatitis C antibody for information regarding the virus and its clinical course. Detection of HCV-RNA by RT-PCR is used in most clinical research studies of HCV. Several PCR techniques using different nested primers have been reported. The best genomic area for detection by PCR seems to be well conserved 5′- non-coding region.
Remarks	RNA is very susceptible to degradation; thus, improper specimen handling can cause false-negative results.Because of the extreme precautions needed to reliably run the PCR assay, it is likely that HCV-RNA by RT-PCR will remain primarily a research test. The test is now offered commercially but is relatively expensive.

References:
Clinical Guide to Laboratory Tests, third edition.