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An archived serum sample as a clue for identifying the primary source of a nosocomial hepatitis C virus outbreak in a haemodialysis unit

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Abstract

Due to an unexpected technical error, patients at a dialysis unit who were seronegative for hepatitis C virus (HCV) were temporarily transferred to another dialysis unit next to a ward reserved for HCV-seropositive patients. In the following 7 months, 17 patients were diagnosed as anti-HCV positive. The aim of the study was to reveal the cause of this nosocomial infection. Anti-HCV-positive sera were further tested by molecular methods. Data collection and on-site epidemiologic inspections were carried out. The source of the nosocomial infection proved to be a seropositive patient treated at the unit, who died before the outbreak was recognized. The exact date of the infection was determined.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Office of the Regional Chief Medical Officer and National Center for Epidemiology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, ÁNTSZ Regional Institute of State Public Health Service, Pécs, Hungary

    Mária Szücs, Edit Varga, Beáta Ballérné Balajcza & Gabriella Kiss

  2. Division of Virology, National Reference Laboratory of Hepatitis Viruses, National Center for Epidemiology, Albert Flórián út 2-6, 1097, Budapest, Hungary

    Ágnes Dencs & Mária Takács

  3. ÁNTSZ Regional Institute of State Public Health Service, Regional Laboratory of Virology, Pécs, Hungary

    Gábor Reuter

  4. Fresenius Medical Care, Pécs, Hungary

    Botond Csiky

  5. Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Debrecen Faculty of Public Health, Debrecen, Hungary

    János Sándor

Authors
  1. Mária Szücs
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  2. Ágnes Dencs
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  3. Edit Varga
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  4. Beáta Ballérné Balajcza
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  5. Gabriella Kiss
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  6. Gábor Reuter
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  7. Botond Csiky
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  8. János Sándor
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  9. Mária Takács
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Correspondence to Mária Takács.

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Szücs, M., Dencs, Á., Varga, E. et al. An archived serum sample as a clue for identifying the primary source of a nosocomial hepatitis C virus outbreak in a haemodialysis unit. Arch Virol 159, 2207–2212 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-014-2074-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-014-2074-7

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