Hepatitis C: seven years after the discovery of the causative agent.

Following the discovery in 1989 of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), sensitive and specific diagnostic assays have shown the involvement of this RNA virus in a myriad of liver disease and extrahepatic pathology. The genetic heterogeneity of HCV is an exciting challenge in the field of epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and vaccine development. Although viral eradication has not been achieved in the majority of patients by using interferon as single agent, the combination with ribavirin seems to have a better outlook.