ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a remarkably successful blood borne virus that establishes a chronic infection in about 70% of the infected individuals. An estimated 3% of the world’s population, about 170 million people, is chronically infected by HCV (1). Acute infection is generally asymptomatic, making early diagnosis very infrequent. Twenty percent of chronically infected persons will develop liver cirrhosis, and liver failure or hepatocellular carcinoma occurs in up to 3% to 4%. Consequently, HCV infection is the most common indication for liver transplantation, accounting for 40% to 50% of liver transplants. However, liver transplantation is not a cure for HCV, as virus recurrence is universal.
