Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)

E1 & E2 SpikesLipid EnvelopeCore Protein

Description

A 'silent killer' that can damage the liver for decades without symptoms. Now one of the few chronic viruses that can be completely cured.

TypeFlaviviridae

ShapeSpherical enveloped

Size55 – 65 nm

GenomePositive-sense single-stranded RNA

Discovered1989

MortalityHigh if untreated (liver failure)

Discovery

Discovered in 1989 by Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M. Rice (Nobel Prize 2020)

Transmission

Blood-to-blood contact (needles, transfusions before 1992)

Symptoms

Often asymptomatic for yearsFatigueJaundiceCirrhosisLiver cancer

💊 Treatment / Medicine

DAAs (Direct-acting antivirals) — can now be cured in >95% of cases!

🛡️ Prevention

Safe injection practices, screening blood supply (no vaccine)

💡

The discovery of HCV was so important for global health that the scientists won the Nobel Prize in 2020!

Structural Components

E1 & E2 Spikes

Heavily glycosylated proteins that hide from the immune system

Lipid Envelope

Often associated with host lipoproteins (fat)

Core Protein

Builds the internal shell

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