Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Morphology | HCV belongs to the Flaviviridae family and Hepacavirus genus and is a small in size (50 nm) and enveloped. Characterized by a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome and has 6 major genotypes and over 100 subtypes. The main genotypes of HCV in North America are types 1, 2, and 3 |
| Growth Conditions | Huh-7 cells are often used to culture HCV |
| Health Hazards | |
|---|---|
| Host Range | Humans are the only known natural host. Chimpanzees are susceptible as an experimental animal |
| Modes of Transmission | HBV is transmitted through activities that involve percutaneous or mucosal contact with infectious blood or body fluids including: sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment, sexual contact, mother to baby at birth. |
| Signs and Symptoms | 75-80% of newly infected people develop chronic infection (can be a lifelong infection if left untreated) whereas 20-30% develops acute infection (occurs within the first 6 months)
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| Infectious Dose | Unknown |
| Incubation Period | Ranges from 2 to 12 weeks (45 day average) |
| Medical Precautions/Treatment | |
|---|---|
| Prophylaxis | None publically available |
| Vaccines | None publically available |
| Treatment | Treatment success rates with antiviral therapy have improved significantly, current treatments usually involve just 8–12 weeks of oral therapy (pills) and cure over 90% with few side effects. |
| Surveillance | Monitor for symptoms. Screening assay for HCV antibody (anti-HCV) or PCR for HCV nucleic acid can be used to diagnose infection. |
| GWU Requirements | Report all incidents to the Office of Risk Management as well as the Office of Research Safety (ORS) IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE OCCURRENCE. |
| Containment | |
|---|---|
| BSL-2/BSL-2+ | Risk Group 2 classification is applied to HCV. BSL-2 practices, containment equipment, and facilities are recommended for all activities utilizing known or potentially infectious body fluids and tissues. Additional primary containment and personnel precautions, such as those described for BSL-3, may be indicated for activities with potential for droplet or aerosol production and for activities involving production quantities or concentrations of infectious materials. |
| ABSL-2 | ABSL-2 practices, containment equipment, and facilities are recommended for activities utilizing naturally or experimentally infected chimpanzees or other non-human primates (NHPs). Gloves should be worn when working with infected animals and when there is the likelihood of skin contact with infectious materials. |
| BSL-3 | For procedures involving production quantities of infectious material (over 10L of culture) and activities with high potential for aerosol production |
| Spill Procedures | |
|---|---|
| Small Spills (<1 liter) | If the spill occurred inside a biological safety cabinet, close the sash and allow the cabinet to operate for 15 minutes before continuing with the spill cleanup.
While HCV exposure via aerosol transmission is unlikely, but caution should still be taken during a spill outside of a BSC. Leave the room immediately and allow the aerosols to dissipate for 15 minutes. Notify others working in the lab. Don appropriate PPE. Cover area of the spill with paper towels or any absorbent material and apply an EPA registered disinfectant effective against enveloped viruses (bleach, glutaraldehyde, and phenolics), working from the perimeter towards the center. Allow 30 minutes of contact time before disposal and cleanup of spill materials. |
| Large Spills | Alert lab personnel in the laboratory to the spill and keep people out of the area to prevent spread of the contamination. Check if you have been contaminated or if any of your PPE has been breached. If so follow exposure procedures. Remove any contaminated clothing and place it the biohazard waste. Wash your hands and post a sign on the door. Notify your supervisor of the incident and call ORS (4-8258) for assistance. If the situation involves an imminently life-threatening injury or has catastrophic potential, call 911. |
| Exposure Procedures | |
|---|---|
| Mucus Membrane | Flush eyes, mouth or nose for 15 minutes at eyewash station. |
| Other Exposure | Wash area with soap and water for 15 minutes. |
| Reporting | Report ALL injuries to the PI immediately and reported to the Office of Risk Management at [email protected] IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE OCCURRENCE. Exposures that involve a bloodborne-pathogen or recombinant DNA also need to be reported to the Office of Research Safety at [email protected]. If the injury requires immediate medical attention, call GWPD at 202-994-6111 or call 911. |
| Medical Monitoring | Seek immediate medical evaluation, treatment, and post exposure follow-up at the Employee Health Office at GWU Hospital (900 23rd St., NW, Suite G-1090, Phone: 202-715-4275). Students should go to the Students Health Office at Marvin Center. After hours treatment can be received at the GWU hospital emergency room. |
| Stability | |
|---|---|
| Disinfection | Susceptible to 4% formaldehyde, 2.5% glutaraldehyde, and detergents (ionic and non-ionic). 10% bleach is also effective |
| Inactivation | Inactivated when incubated at 60°C for 8 minutes and 65°C for 4 minutes |
| Survival Outside Host | HCV is relatively unstable; however, in plasma it can survive drying and environmental exposure to room temperature for at least 16 hours |
| Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) | |
|---|---|
| Minimum PPE Requirements | At minimum, personnel are required to don gloves, closed toed shoes, lab coat, and appropriate face and eye protection prior to working with HCV. Additional PPE may be required depending on lab specific SOPs. |
| Additional Precautions | Additional protection may be worn over laboratory clothing when infectious materials are directly handled, such as solid-front gowns with tight fitting wrists, gloves, and respiratory protection. |
| References | |
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