| abstract |
ABSTRACT Reagents for testing for hepatitis C by detect-ing antibodies which use peptides as antigens, said peptides containing a specified amino acid sequence of an epitope in the HCV structural region, i.e., Arg Xaa Gly Pro Arg Leu Gly Arg Arg Pro (wherein Xaa is prefer-ably Leu, Lys or Arg), as an essential peptide. The reagents can detect antibodies against the HCV struc-tural region with high detectability and specificity. Thus, the reagents make it possible to detect HCV infection accurately and at an early stage. Necessary peptides can be chemically synthesized without diffi-culty. |