Researchers at the University of Ilorin have discovered a new diagnostic method of identifying Hepatitis "C" in human carriers long before they express the symptoms of the disease.

Dr. Jide Agbede of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Ilorin, who leads a multi-disciplinary research team on the study, disclosed this in an interview with Unilorin Bulletin.

According to Dr. Agbede, "Hepatitis "C" virus is a very deadly viral disease that has propensity to cause cancer of the liver as carriers advance in age". He said that the infection is not easily diagnosed because not everyone with the virus expresses the symptoms. The symptoms are Gastro Intestinal Tract (GIT) infections and abdominal discomfort.

The medical researcher explained that "it is when people need to donate blood for blood transfusion purposes and the donor's blood is screened that the virus is often discovered", adding that "even at that, only those who have passed the 'window period' are discovered". He explained that the 'window period' is a time between when the virus gets into human body unnoticed and the time when existing diagnostic technology can fish it out".

He said, "Our research is to identify the core antigen, along with its antibodies. An antigen is any substance like chemicals, bacteria, viruses, pollen or even bacterial toxins or tissue cells that causes the immune system to produce antibodies against it while antibodies, also called immunoglobulins, are large Y-shaped proteins, which function to identify and help remove foreign antigens or targets such as viruses and bacteria. Every antibody recognises a specific foreign antigen.

"So if a carrier of the Hepatitis "C" virus, for instance, donates his blood for blood transfusion, because existing diagnostic method does not capture infected people at the window period, the laboratory technologist will transfuse the blood into the blood bank or to another person ultimately and he will be blameless".

"Our effort is to track the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - a self-replicating material which is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes which is the carrier of genetic information-of the virus on the infected person. We also note the substance produced by the virus in the process of infection", he said

The virologist, who is working along with Prof Yisa M. Fakunle of the Department of Medicine and who until recently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management Services), Dr. F. Oladiji of the Department of Heamatology and Mr. O.O. Adeyemi of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, further explained that the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, is collaborating with the team on this study and that Mr. Adeyemi is currently at Leeds working on some aspects of the research.