The development of nucleic acid assays is of critical clinical importance for the
diagnosis of viral hepatitis and the management of antiviral therapy. For both chronic
hepatitis B and C, sensitive and quantitative assays are required for the monitoring
of viral load. Better assays are being developed and their role in the management
of antiviral treatment has been clearly demonstrated. Genotyping assays are critical
for the decision of treatment strategies in hepatitis C, although in hepatitis B this
issue is more debated. The detection of viral genome mutations for the diagnosis of
hepatitis B virus resistance is critical with the use of nucleoside analogs. This
may also prove useful for anti-hepatitis C virus therapy with the rapid development
of specific inhibitors that may select for drug-resistant mutants.
Hepatitis B - hepatitis C - viral load - viral genome - mutations - genotypes - antiviral
therapy
