A team of researchers has come up with a one-step test that screens, detects and confirms HCV infections more quickly and efficiently. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 150 million people worldwide and 3.2 million people in the U.S. are infected with HCV. Effective screening and fast diagnosis are critical for treatment and controlling transmission.
HCV patients remain comparatively underdiagnosed, underscreened as they do not usually experience symptoms until more serious liver injury develops, such as fibrosis, cirrhosis, or liver cancer. The CDC recommends screening tests for high-risk patients, including intravenous drug users, and individuals who had blood transfusions before 1992, as well as those born between 1945 and 1965. The present two-step screening test possesses some disadvantages as follows It cannot distinguish active infection…
