Chemical Synthesis of Peptide Antigens From Nucleocapsid Protein of Hepatitis C Virus and Their Application to Serodiagnosis of Viral Infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) contains a positite- and single-stranded RNA genomeand was proposed in 1991 to be placed in the new third genus of the familyFlaviviridae. Sufficient data obtained all around the world indicate that about 90%of post-transfusion hepatitis is caused by HCV and that chronic HCV infection can in-crease the risk of the development of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. In thepreliminary epidemiological investigations, a high prevalence of anti-HCV antibodieswas detected in Chinese patients with liver disease and Chinese occupational blood do-nors, especially the plasmapheresis donors. That is to say, HCV causes a serioushealth problem in China and diagnostic assays for HCV infection are in urgent need