Does a negative hepatitis C test result mean that one does not have hepatitis C?

The above scenario does not rule out hepatitis C infection. In the early stage of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, patients may not yet have produced detectable antibodies; under such circumstances, serological testing often yields a negative result. Anti-HCV antibody testing is generally not used to determine whether the virus has been cleared from the body or whether the patient remains infectious; a positive result merely indicates prior exposure to HCV. To facilitate early diagnosis, patients should undergo testing for HCV antigen or HCV RNA.