Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Antibody

“…Assays, first of the antibody (anti-HCV) and lately for the HCV antigen (HCV RNA), have been developed [4,5]. Prevalence rates among blood donors have been reportedly low in most European countries: 0.24 to 0.79% in Germany [6]; 0.87% in Italy [7]; and 0.5 to 1% in the United Kingdom [8]. One report from Spain gave a prevalence rate of 7.3% [9].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus in Blood Donors in Riyadh

et al. 1991

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“…Our results contrast to a 14-20% prevalence of anti-HCV registered in Spain, US and West Germany [11][12][13]. This difference reflects either effective measures of infection control or intrainstitutional exposure [14], 0.22-1.55% of healthy blood donors are positive for antibodies to HCV [15][16][17][18], which once more demonstrated the high risk of hemodialysed patients for acquiring HCV infection.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 91%

Prevalence of Antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus in Hemodialysis Patients

Kallinowski

Theilmann

Gmelin

et al. 1991

Nephron

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Due to frequent parenteral contact with blood transfusions hemodialysis patients are prone to acquire hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. To determine the role of HCV infection we investigated the prevalence of antibodies to HCV in 188 hemodialysis patients. The prevalence of antibodies to HCV was 7.4%. As compared to anti-HCV-negative patients, anti-HCV-positive patients had slightly elevated transaminases which were independent of the presence of markers for hepatitis B virus infection. We conclude that HCV infection is common among dialysis patients.

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“…Regulations on prod uct liability provide a powerful stimulus to override consid erations of strict cost-effectiveness, even though adequate methods for inactivating pooled plasma products are widely available. At the very least, we hope that our attempts to highlight the possible deficiencies, as well as the benefits, of the anti-HCV assay [30] have expedited the provision of supplementary tests which surprisingly had not originally been considered a priority by the manufacturers. ELISA tests for anti-HCV undoubtedly correlate well with NANBH cases diagnosed in retrospect.…”

Section: Implications Of the Anti-hcv Assay For Transfusion Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-A, Non-B Hepatitis and the Anti-HCV Assay

Barbara¹,

Contreras²

1991

Vox Sanguinis

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The successful cloning of a non-structural antigen from the genome of what is now designated as the ‘hepatitis C virus’ (HCV) has transformed an erstwhile diagnosis of exclusion for non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH). The assay has been validated against panels of known infectivity for NANBH and sera from haemophiliac patients treated either with virally inactivated or uninactivated factor VIII. The predictive value of the assay is being assessed clinically in prospective studies of post-transfusion hepatitis and by using laboratory techniques such as polymerase chain reaction. While the assay shows good predictability in high-risk subjects, an appreciable number of false-positive results are likely in blood donor populations. Furthermore, the extent of infectivity of seropositive blood donors is still the subject of active research. The prevalence of anti-HCV in blood donors varies from approximately 0.2 to 1.5% around the world, based on repeat reactivity in the Ortho antiglobulin ELISA assay. These rates may be appreciably reduced following supplementary testing with recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA). Prevalence data in African sera are as yet unreliable, pending assessment by RIBA, presumably because of high levels of IgG interfering with the assay. Presence of anti-HBc or elevated alanine aminotransferase associates to a greater or lesser extent with seropositivity, especially when both surrogate markers are present, but conversely many (unconfirmed) seropositive subjects lack these surrogate markers. An understanding of the modes of transmission of HVC is of obvious importance to transfusion practice. Intravenous drug use is a striking risk factor, but the contribution made by sexual transmission is not so clear. Results with the highly innovative anti-HCV assay represent the first dramatic ‘ranging shots’ to hit the target of NANBH, albeit at the periphery. Some of the various limitations of this expensive assay and associated supplementary tests are likely to be resolved by the advent of improved tests based on other HCV antigens, including structural ones. Hopefully, they will produce results closer to the centre of the target.

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Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Antibody

Cited by 46 publications

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Prevalence of Antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus in Blood Donors in Riyadh

Prevalence of Antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus in Blood Donors in Riyadh

Prevalence of Antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus in Hemodialysis Patients

Non-A, Non-B Hepatitis and the Anti-HCV Assay

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