In: Biology
Suppose you are a clinician treating a patient with viral hepatitis. What diagnostics tests would you run to effectively narrow down the viral source of this disease? Please elaborate on the assays and how you’d be able to distinguish between the different Hepatitis viruses.
There are several laboratory tests for hepatitis. General chemistry test to detect liver damage / inflammation
Screening test for viral hepatitis .eg screening exposure to test hepatitis B or hepatitis C.
Alanine Aminotransferace ( ALT) an enzyme found mainly in liver, when the liver is damaged, ALT is released in to the blood. This is the useful method to detect liver damage.
Prothrombin time PT the test may be ordered for a person with hepatitis or suspected hepatitis. Proteins used in the blood clot mostly produced by the liver prolonged PT indicate severe liver damage.
Acute hepetitis panel and liver biopsies also done to detect hepatitis.
Viral differences
The main differences of hepatitis virus is, in hepatitis B virus it is a blood borne pathogen primary mode of transmission is blood to blood contact with an infected person. But hepatitis B spread by fecal oral transmission or by consuming contaminated food or water.Hepatitis C is sexual transmitted infection, transmitted through unprotected sex.