Validation of a point-of-care rapid diagnostic test for hepatitis C for use in resource-limited settings.

LEATHERS JS; PISANO MB; RÉ V E; VAN OORD G; SULTAN A; BOONSTRA A; DEBES JD

International Health

Oxford University Press

Año: 2019

1876-3405

Background: Treatment of HCV with direct-acting antivirals has enabled the discussion of HCV eradicationworldwide. Envisioning this aim requires implementation of mass screening in resource-limited areas, usuallyconstrained by testing costs.Methods: We validated a low-cost, rapid diagnosis test (RDT) for HCV in three different continents in 141individuals.Results: The HCV RDT showed 100% specificity and sensitivity across different samples regardless of genotypeor viral load (in samples with such information, 90%).Conclusions: The HCV test validated in this study can allow for HCV screening in areas of need when properlyused.