Risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection among Egyptian healthcare workers in a national liver diseases referral centre

Abstract

Little is known about the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among healthcare workers (HCW) in Egypt, where the highest worldwide prevalence of HCV exists. The prevalence of HCV, hepatitis B virus and Schistosoma mansoni antibodies was examined in 842 HCWs at the National Liver Institute in the Nile Delta, where >85% of patients are HCV antibody-positive. The mean age of HCWs was 31.5 years and they reported an average of 0.6±1.2 needlesticks/HCW/year. The prevalence of anti-HCV, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and co-infection was 16.6%, 1.5% and 0.2%, respectively. HCV-RNA was present in 72.1% of anti-HCV-positive HCWs, and all but one subject were infected with HCV genotype 4. Schistosoma mansoni antibodies were present in 35.1%. The anti-HCV rate increased sharply with age and employment duration, but not among those with needlestick history. After adjusting for other risk factors, the anti-HCV rate was higher among older HCWs [P<0.001; risk ratio (RR) = 1.086, 95% CI 1.063-1.11], males (P=0.002; RR=1.911, 95% CI 1.266-2.885) and those with rural residence (P<0.001; RR=2.876, 95% CI 1.830-4.52). Occupation (P=0.133), duration of employment (P=0.272) or schistosomal antibody positivity (P=0.152) were not significant risk factors for anti-HCV positivity. In conclusion, although one in six HCWs had been infected with HCV, the infections were more likely to be community-acquired and not occupationally related.

Correlation between hepatitis C viral load and hepatitis C Core antigenaemia among Egyptians

“…Forty-three (53.8%) participants were positive for S. mansoni antibodies with no significant difference between the HCV-RNA-negative and HCV-RNA-positive groups. A prevalence of S. mansoni of 36.4% in a number of Egyptian governorates has been reported (20), which is less than what we report here. Another study on health care workers at the National Liver Institute, Menoufia University (Egypt) reported an S. mansoni seroprevalence of 35.1% (21), which is also lower than our finding.…”

Hepatitis C virus exposure rate among health-care workers in rural Lower Egypt governorates

“…Munier et al reported that 48.8% of anti-HCV-positive HCWs were negative for HCV RNA and concluded that the cellular and innate immune responses to frequent occupational blood exposure might be associated with protection against HCV persistence in HCWs. [29] The rate of persistent HCV infection among our anti-HCV-positive HCWs was 81.6%. The frequency of HCV RNA positivity increased with age ( Table 3).…”

Hepatitis C Virus-Multispecific T-Cell Responses without Viremia or Seroconversion among Egyptian Health Care Workers at High Risk of Infection

“…The kit uses HCV-specific primers and probes as well as internal controls. HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) (Murex) and anti-HBs (Adaltis, Italy) EIAs were performed according to the manufacturer's instructions and as previously described (2,35). Detection of Schistosoma mansonispecific IgG was performed by EIA according to the manufacturer's instructions (Novatec Immunodiagnostica GmbH, Germany).…”