Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis C Virus in Blood Donors in Zagazig City Blood Banks

Eldaly, Omar M.; Elbehedy, Eman M.; Fakhr, Ahmed Elsadek; Lotfy, Alshimaa

doi:10.12816/0036803

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The Mexican prevalence of OCI is noticeably high, considering that the study population is a random population of individuals, who believe themselves healthy. Our results are similar with reported prevalences in blood donor populations from Egypt (5.7%) [ 15 ], China (2.2%) [ 16 ] and Spain (2.1%) [ 17 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…It has been reported that being male, having a history of surgeries and dental procedures, and an age over 30 years old are predictive factors of OCI [ 13 , 14 ]. Only three reports, from China, Egypt, and Spain, are available that focus on the prevalence of OCI among blood donors [ 15 – 17 ]. In Mexico, the prevalence of OCI is unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Prevalence and risk factors of Occult Hepatitis C infections in blood donors from Mexico City

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe circulatory system is the main mechanism for transmission of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). A new class of HCV infections, Occult HCV infection (OCI), is defined as the presence of HCV-RNA in hepatocytes with the absence of HCV in the serum/plasma utilizing current laboratory assays. Different groups have reported the prevalence of OCI; however, its associated risk factors have not been established. In Mexico, there are no reports about OCI, so the objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of OCI in total blood donors in Mexico City, as well as its associated risk factors.MethodsBlood donors that were considered eligible for donation, according to NOM 253-SSA1-2012, were randomly selected. Demographic data was collected from 1,037 donors. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were assessed for HCV-RNA. The presence of HCV-RNA was determined by nested PCR for the 5'-UTR region. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) to determine the level of association.ResultsThe prevalence of OCI was 3.4% among blood donors. Homosexual relationships (OR = 5.52, 95%CI: 1.53–19.92, p<0.05) and acupuncture (OR = 3.56, 95%CI: 1.41–8.98, p<0.05) were significantly associated with OCI.ConclusionThere is a significant presence of OCI in the blood donor population in Mexico City. The main risk factors for OCI transmission are homosexual relationships and acupuncture. This study supports the increased use of sensitive and specific screening tests for blood bank testing.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and risk factors of Occult Hepatitis C infections in blood donors from Mexico City

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Lastly, in LPD patients, repeated blood transfusions are a major risk factor for the development of HCV and OCI. In this case, there are two accepted probabilities; HCV and OCI can be acquired through repeated infected blood transfusions in LPD patients [31] or LPD can develop as a disorder secondary to HCV infection [10]. It is possible that the treatment of OCI patients using antiviral therapies can improve the clinical condition of LPD patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Egyptian Patients with Lymphoma: A New Vision

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Occult hepatitis C virus infection (OCI) is the absence of HCV RNA in serum and the presence of actively replicating HCV RNA in hepatocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), as evidenced by the presence of antigenomic negative sense single-stranded RNA. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of OCI in Egyptian lymphoma patients and assess changes in biochemical parameters in patients with confirmed OCI. The current study was conducted on 100 apparently healthy subjects as control group and 100 patients with lymphoma as a case group. HCV RNA was extracted and detected in both plasma and PBMCs using qRT-PCR. Total protein, albumin, ALT, AST, and total and direct bilirubin were measured in serum. OCI was detected in 6% of the patient group. OCI patients had lower levels of total protein and serum albumin and higher ALT and AST compared with lymphoma patients without OCI. Our study revealed that six out of 100 patients with lymphoma disorders had occult HCV infection (6%). Therefore, the possibility of this infection should be considered in patients with lymphoma.

show abstract

“…Recent reports have demonstrated that OCI-positive blood donors are found in many counties and it is hypothesized that the HCV RNA within PBMCs may become a source of viral transmission through blood transfusion. 37,[49][50][51] If OCI was to represent a potential risk to blood safety, there are existing strategies such as leukoreduction and pathogen inactivation that could mitigate this risk. 60 However, these additional barriers are not universally applied and it represents a potential risk especially in HCV-endemic countries, where there will be a correspondingly higher prevalence of OCI in the community.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eight of the blood donors (5.7%) were found to be seronegative OCI, given HCV RNA presence in PBMCs and its absence in serum. 50 A possible explanation for this high level of OCI prevalence may be the high rate of hepatitis C (estimated anti-HCV prevalence of 14.7%) in Egypt. 52 Given a higher rate of hepatitis C in a population, it is hypothesized there will be a higher risk for individuals to acquire HCV in the form of an occult infection.…”

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding occult hepatitis C infection

Dean

Flower

et al. 2020

Transfusion

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Occult hepatitis C infection (OCI) is a type of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, defined as the presence of HCV RNA in hepatocytes or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and the absence of HCV RNA in serum. Study Design and Methods A literature review was conducted to identify articles that characterized OCI as a disease, including its epidemiology, mode of transmission, pattern of infection, progression, and treatment. Results OCI patients experience a milder degree of inflammatory and cirrhotic changes than patients with chronic hepatitis C. OCI is transmissible parenterally both in vivo and in vitro, however the duration and outcome of OCI remains unclear. OCI is most consistently found in patients with previous hepatitis C disease and hemodialysis patients. Beyond the at‐risk populations, OCI has also been demonstrated among healthy individuals and blood donors. Conclusions This review summarises our current understanding of OCI and suggests areas for further research to improve our understanding of this phenomenon, including a better understanding of its epidemiology and full clinical course. The current understanding of OCI and its clinical implications remain limited. Further standardized detection methods, ongoing surveillance, and investigation of its potential transmissions are required.

show abstract

Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis C Virus in Blood Donors in Zagazig City Blood Banks

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Prevalence and risk factors of Occult Hepatitis C infections in blood donors from Mexico City

Prevalence and risk factors of Occult Hepatitis C infections in blood donors from Mexico City

Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Egyptian Patients with Lymphoma: A New Vision

Understanding occult hepatitis C infection

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About