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View the video entitled Getting Tested for Hepatitis C Announcer: The information provided in this video is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, you should contact your health care provider. Segment 5: How do I get tested? Jacobson: Individuals with the risk factors for contracting HCV--described in the "About Hepatitis C" portion of this Web site--may wish to be tested for infection. Several blood tests are available for this purpose, and your doctor may order just one or a combination of these tests. The first test usually done is the EIA, or enzyme immunoassay. The EIA tests for antibodies that your body manufactures in response to HCV infection. Many people refer to this test as the HCV antibody test. If the EIA is positive, then a RIBA, or recombinant immunoblot assay, may be done to confirm the EIA. However, an assay called PCR is used by most specialists, and has largely replaced the RIBA. This assay looks directly for hepatitis viral genetic material in your blood, and can assess your chance of responding to treatment by estimating the number of virus particles in your blood. An additional test called a viral genotype is obtained to determine the strain of the virus that is present. Three major genotypes exist in the United States, and are called genotypes 1, 2, and 3. Genotype 1 is the most common, and unfortunately the most difficult to treat. In addition, infection with genotype 1 may require a longer period of treatment in order to achieve satisfactory results. Finally, if HCV infection is confirmed, then your doctor may wish you to have a liver biopsy. In this procedure, which is performed under a local anesthetic, a needle is quickly inserted into the liver, and a sample of the liver tissue is removed. This tissue is then examined under the microscope to estimate the amount of damage that has been done to the liver by the infection.