HCV MOSAIC ANTIGEN COMPOSITION

A highly immunoreactive mosaic antigen composition comprising a plurality of antigenic peptides derived from the core region of a polyprotein encoded by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome is provided for the purpose of detecting anti-HCV antibodies. The mosaic antigen composition essentially comprises a combination of six different antigenic peptides, ranging in length from 12 to 19 amino acid residues, which are individually immobilized through covalent linkage to a carrier component at their terminal end. The unique combination of HCV core peptides provided as a mosaic antigen composition having the three-dimensional configuration described herein results in higher specificity and sensitivity for detection of human antibodies specific to HCV in rapid HCV diagnostic applications. An in vitro diagnostic method for detecting anti-HCV antibodies in a test sample and a diagnostic test kit are also provided which utilize the mosaic antigen composition as an immunoreagent.