Abstract
Recently a recombinant polypeptide of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been developed by the Chiron Corporation in California. This antigen has been used to develop an ELISA test (Ortho Diagnostic Systems) for serum anti-HCV antibodies. Preliminary data have shown that this virus is the major cause of NANB hepatitis in the world. We examined differences in anti-HCV prevalence among subgroups of blood donors (total sera examined 639) classified for past or present exposure to HBV or not, and for ALT levels. The anti-HCV prevalence found in regular blood donors with normal ALT levels and no antibody to HBcAg was 1.2%. No significant difference in the anti-HCV prevalence was found among other subgroups of blood donors except that a higher prevalence (10%) was found in a group with both elevated ALT and HBV markers.
These preliminary findings suggest that the policy of blood supply should take into account the advent of HCV antibody test.
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Ferroni, P., Tagger, A., Ribero, M.L. et al. Antibodies to hepatitis C virus in blood donors. Eur J Epidemiol 6, 326–328 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00150442
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00150442