Ab ratio 1.0 neg for antibodies

[Windtalker29]

Hello everyone I've been getting hives for almost a year straight now. I was recently tested for hep c and the ab ration said 0.1-0.9 and my test result was 1.0 then the antibodies reflux was negative.  My dr is testing for the viral load now to see If I have it, anyone ever experience this???

[Lynn K]

Hives is not a symptom of hepatitis c. The majority of people with hep c infection have no symptoms beyond tiredness unless they have been infected for decades and begin to have symptoms of liver disease.

Having a reactive hep c antibody test means at some point in your life you may have been exposed to the hepatitis c virus. A second test is then needed to confirm if the person is currently infected with the hep c virus. If that second test for the hepatitis c virus called the HCV RNA by PCR is positive you will need treatment to eridicate the hep c virus.

However, about 25% of people are able to beat the virus without treatment so it is possible you may not be infected and no treatment will be needed. If that is the case you will always test positive for hep c antibodies as they are made by your own body when it tries to fight the virus. Your body will continue to make hep c antibodies for the rest of your life.

When you get these next test results back you will know if you are infected and need treatment.

Best of luck

[Windtalker29]

Do you think the 1.0 result is considered a pos even if there were no antibodies detected? Because it said non-reactive

[Lynn K]

Can’t tell without seeing your lab slip to be sure what exactly you are seeing. Especially since your doctor is doing the test for the virus as if you are not reactive no additional testing is required. It could be they are referring to a normal result being non reactive.

But anyway you will have a definitive answer soon. Have you had the blood draw for the HCV RNA test yet? You should have results in a about a week.

Do you think you could have had a blood to blood contact with hepatitis c infected blood? Have you ever shared IV drug needles even just one time in the distant past? Did you have a blood transfusion before 1990 when testing for the antibody was developed and used to secure the blood supply?

Just wait for your test results then you will know

Good luck let us know what you find out

[Windtalker29]

Pretty much the testing peramitars say 0.1-0.9. Mine says 1.0 which is one over range. And the reflux for antibodies says non reactive. No I'm a stay at home mom. But my husband has been poked by a needle at work. 

[danton]

Hello windtalker

Your reflex testing(the RNA/PCR test) is done by some centers if the antibodies shows at all postive.
They use the same blood sample in order for you not to have to return for another test.

Given the Reflex test was negative you don't have Hep C.

The very low reading of 1 on the Antibodies test most often means a false positive,which yours was given your Negative PCR test.

Hopfully your doctor plans on explaining this to you .....or should have when relaying those results.

[Lynn K]

As Danton said if you are reading your results correctly and are negative you don’t have hep c. But since your doctor is doing a HCV RNA test you will know beyond any doubt soon. As far as your husband being poked by a needle is he a medical worker and the needle was used on a patient who has hep c? If so he should probably be tested. The CDC does not consider hep c to ingeneral to be sexually transmitted between long term monogamous couples there is a greater risk for persons who engage in rough sexual practices. have multiple partners or in the presence of HIV. There have been many here where one partner has hep c and the other does not do I don’t believe your husbands needle poke would be a risk to you.

Good luck

[Windtalker29]

He was poked by a syringe of an inmate during a cell search in prison. He has never been tested for hep c. But that would be the only thing I can think of. My dr didnt seem bothered at all by the result. But my allergy specialist is the one checking me for the viral load test.  She said she wants to be sure. But my question was more in regards to the .1 over the range.. cause I've been seeing that it means positive

[Lynn K]

The 1.0 is the Signal-to-Cutoff Ratio I’m a little confused by that as well as:

“Results are calculated as normalized signal-to-cutoff (S/Co) ratios obtained by measuring the signal strength of sample and the signal strength of an internal cutoff. Samples with an S/Co ratio of ≥1.0 are defined by the manufacturer as positive.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3416074/

Was the inmate hep c positive I’m assuming they would know such things in a prison setting. If the prisioners status was unknown your husband should probably be tested for hep c. However, his situation would not put you are risk.

There can be false positives on antibody testing especially with a weakly reactive signal to cutoff ratio. One you have the HCV RNA results back you will know where you stand. But I would be surprised if you are positive. I’m just a patient who had hep c for many years before I was cured your doctor is your best source of guidance. We are mostly a support group to help people with questions about treatment.

[danton]

Lynn K & Windtalker

If you read my previous post here it should clear up any confusion.

Again, the antibodies test was done with a very low result (S/co of 1). As this shows very weakly positive the center where the blood was taken  automatically sent it out  thenfor an RNA/PCR test.(this is called reflex testing)
 This is often done so that the patient does not have to come back for that second PCR test.

The result of your PCR has already been given to you from what you said and it is Negative ,therefore it is confirmed already you Do Not have Hep C.

For some reason you mention your allergist did the test again and it will be Neg. just like the first PCR.

Windtalker, don’t concern yourself with the very weakly positive antibodies test.
This happens quite frequently as the test often cross-reacts with other antibodies in the body ( past infections of possibly measles,mumps, chicken pox and a whole host of other benign conditions.) It was a false positive and your PCR has confirmed that.

As far as your husband, any time someone gets a used needle stick always a good idea to be tested for possible blood borne diseases.

Hope that helps ..

[Lynn K]

https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hcv/pdfs/hepctesting-diagnosis.pdf

“Hepatitis C Antibody Test

Results
When getting tested for Hepatitis C, ask your doctor when and how you will find out your results. The test results usually take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to come back. A new rapid test is available in some health clinics.
Non-Reactive or Negative Hepatitis C Antibody Test
• A non-reactive or negative antibody test means that a person does not have Hepatitis C.
• However, if a person has been exposed to the Hepatitis C virus in the last 6 months, he or she will need to be tested again.
Reactive or Positive Hepatitis C Antibody Test
• A reactive or positive antibody test means that Hepatitis C antibodies were found in the blood and a person has been infected with the Hepatitis C virus at some point in time.
• Once people have been infected, they will always have antibodies in their blood. This is true if even if they have cleared the Hepatitis C virus.
• A reactive antibody test does not necessarily mean that you have Hepatitis C. A person will need an additional, follow-up test.

Diagnosing Hepatitis C

If the antibody test is reactive, an additional blood test is needed to determine if a person is currently infected with Hepatitis C. This test is called a RNA test. Another name used for this test is a PCR test. If the RNA test is negative, this means a person does not have Hepatitis C. If the RNA test is positive, this means a person currently has Hepatitis C and should talk to a doctor experienced in diagnosing and treating the disease.”

To the best of my understanding the antibody test result either positive or negative for hep c antibody is a normal part of the antibody test whether the sample is positive or negative for hep c antibodies and the standard testing protocol would be if tested positive for hep c antibodies a second test is required the HCV RNA by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to determine if the hep c virus itself is present. The test for hepatitis C antibodies is not the PCR test the test for the virus itself uses the PCR technique is a method widely used in molecular biology to make many copies of a specific DNA segment. The PCR method is used to test for the virus not antibodies.

The signal to cutoff ratio for the antibody test as I researched above say any result over 0.9 would be reported as a positive antibody test so it seems odd to me your result for the SCO was more than 0.9 but reported negative for antibodies.

That being said if your doctor isn’t concerned I would tend to lean towards your doctors opinion over your allergist and would not be concerned. You will have the PCR results back shortly and can put this in the rear view mirror.

[danton]

Yes. Again,,, she had the PCR, with the same blood sample as the antibodies test.That is what is meant by Reflex testing
It saves a second visit

[danton]

Meant.   “saves a second visit”

[Lynn K]

The PCR methodolgy is used to replicate replicate DNA in the HCV RNA test it is not a part of the antibody test it is a separate test.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymerase_chain_reaction

“Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method widely used in molecular biology to make many copies of a specific DNA segment. Using PCR, a single copy (or more) of a DNA sequence is exponentially amplified to generate thousands to millions of more copies of that particular DNA segment.”

[Lynn K]

Had her result been positive then I agree they likely would have automatically performed the second test the HCV RNA by PCR test to look for the hep c virus itself but we can’t be sure about what has specifically been done at this point. The negative result on the antibody test means negative for antibodies. The antibody test does not use the PCR methodology.

http://www.hepctrust.org.uk/information/testing/testing-hepatitis-c

“PCR test

If an antibody test is positive, a second test will check if the virus is still present. Both tests are able to be done from one sample from you so it does not always mean that you have to get tested twice. However, some testing services still only test for the presence of antibodies first and then call you back for a further PCR test.”

[danton]

Hi Lynn K

I believe it is in Windtalkers original post where yuor confusion may be.

She stated in it:
" the ab ration said 0.1-0.9 and my test result was 1.0 then the antibodies reflux was negative."

I believe she may have mistated when she said "anitbodies reflux". There is no such test. I believe what she meant was she had the anibodies test,it showed weakly positive so they then ran a RNA/PCR on that blood sample(That is what is meant by REflex testing)

It saves the patient from having to come back a second time for the PCR test.

[Lynn K]

The antibody test has two entries a number value then the words positive or negative. The positive or negative refers to antibodies.

If the antibody test was positive the lab may elect to perform the HCV RNA by PCR test if they have enough sample available saving the patient being called back in for additional testing but this is not always the case.

I see info about reflex testing and that could be what was done but since we can’t see her results hard to know exactly what testing has been already done. But since her allergist had the HCV RNA by PCR test done this will be cleared up in the next few days

Best regards

[danton]

I am sorry you did not interpret her original post the way I did.
 
I saw: Her Ab was positive at 1 . They ran a PCR on that sample because of that positive result and then she stated the result of that test was non- reactive(negative).

She called it a reflux antibodies test, however I believe from the start I knew what she meant.

She does know her result on the PCR as I understand it.

[Lynn K]

I am most familiar with the two test method to have an antibody test then if positive return for a second test for the HCV RNA by PCR test

This is the first time I have seen where they automatically performed the second HCV RNA by PCR test if this is what actually occurred in this case.

I did assume reflux was likely a typo or autocorrect error.

Of course back when I learned I was positive for hep c antibodies I received a letter from my local blood bank and never actually saw the result and it was likely a much earlier version of the test. At that time the HCV RNA by PCR had not even been invented yet so my diagnosis was based solely on having a positive hep c antibody test and elevated liver enzymes. It was several years later I had my first viral load test in my third treatment for hep c.

Aka back in the dark ages of hep c treatment and diagnosis

[Windtalker29]

So I had an hep c ab test, it had a rang 0.1-.0.9. Mine was 1.0 which is out of range, on the bottom of the result it said non reactive. After my allergy specialist seen it she ordered a RNA just to be certain.  Sorry for the confusion. My question was is the .1 out of range abnormal or considered positive even if I dont have antibodies found.

[Lynn K]

Sorry about all that don’t mind us lol

The number isn’t really important all that matters in the big picture is you tested negative for either antibodies or as Denton points out you may have been tested for the hep c virus itself.

But either way you are having the HCV RNA by PCR test your allergist ordered which does look for the actual virus in your blood. If that is not detected you don’t have hep c no matter if you had a much higher number and even if positive for hep c antibodies. The HCV RNA test is the one that proves or disproves current infection.

When did your allergist have that lab drawn? You should have those results in about a week maybe sooner.