Abstract: The application provides methods for determining a patient's risk for developing fibrosis or a fibrosis-related disorder. Concentrations of C reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid protein (SAP) are measured from a biological sample to determine the SAP-to-CRP ratio. This ratio can then be compared with one or more SAP-to-CRP reference ratios to determine a patient's risk for developing a fibrosis related disorder. The diagnostic methods can also be used to determine the severity of fibrosis in a patient afflicted with such a disease. Furthermore, methods for treating patients having a fibrosis-related disorder are provided. For example, a patient that has a lower SAP-to-CRP ratio than one or more reference values may be treated with an SAP agonist and/or CRP antagonist to treat or prevent a fibrosis disorder. The methods may further comprise determining the R131/H131 polymorphism of Fc?RIIA as a risk factor for developing fibrosis or a fibrosis-related disorder.

Abstract: Recombinantly produced hepatitis GB Virus (HGBV) amino acid sequences useful for a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic applications, kits for using the HGBV amino acid sequences and antibodies which specifically bind to HGBV. Also provided are methods for producing antibodies, polyclonal or monoclonal, from the HGBV recombinantly produced amino acid sequences.