| Hepatitis c virus is a small virus. | | | | RNA polymerase, HCV also has an exceptionally high |
| The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small (50 nm in size), | | | | mutation rate, a factor that may help it elude the |
| enveloped, single-stranded, positive sense RNA virus | | | | host's immune response. |
| in the family Flaviviridae. HCV mainly replicates within | | | | Early studies of viral loads in eleven asymptomatically |
| hepatocytes in the liver, although there is | | | | infected viral carriers (blood donors in 1989, prior to |
| controversial evidence for replication in lymphocytes | | | | implementation of blood bank screening for HCV, and |
| or monocytes. Circulating HCV particles bind to | | | | from whom the donated blood units were rejected |
| receptors on the surfaces of hepatocytes and | | | | because of elevated alanine transaminase (ALT) liver |
| subsequently enter the cells. Two putative HCV | | | | enzyme levels) indicated that asymptomatic viral |
| receptors are CD81 and human scavenger receptor | | | | loads in blood plasma varied between 100/mL and |
| class B1 (SR-BI). However, these receptors are found | | | | 50,000,000/mL. |
| throughout the body. The identification of | | | | Although hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C have |
| hepatocyte-specific cofactors that determine | | | | similar names (because they all cause liver |
| observed HCV liver tropism are currently under | | | | inflammation), these are distinctly different viruses |
| investigation. | | | | both genetically and clinically. Unlike hepatitis A and B, |
| HCV has a high rate of replication with approximately | | | | there is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C |
| one trillion particles produced each day in an infected | | | | infection.read moreĀ
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| individual. Due to lack of proofreading by the HCV | | | | |