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Hepatitis C Virus Antibodies and Virus Replication in Asymptomatic Blood Donors
Author(s) -
Yuki Nobukazu,
Hayashi Norio,
Hagiwara Hideki,
Naito Masafumi,
Ohkawa Kazuyoshi,
Kasahara Akinori,
Fusamoto Hideyuki,
Ohtani Satoshi,
Okubo Yasuto,
Kamada Takenobu
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
vox sanguinis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.68
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1423-0410
pISSN - 0042-9007
DOI - 10.1111/j.1423-0410.1994.tb01252.x
Subject(s) - antibody , hepatitis c virus , virology , polymerase chain reaction , asymptomatic , virus , biology , flaviviridae , viral disease , reverse transcriptase , immunology , medicine , gene , biochemistry
We assessed hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 99 asymptomatic blood donors positive using a first‐generation HCV antibody assay. When tested with second‐generation assays, 86 (87%) donors were reactive (group 1), 2 (2%) were indeterminate (group 2), and 11 (11%) were non‐reactive (group 3). Viraemia was revealed by polymerase chain reaction in all group 1 cases. The 2 group 2 cases and 6 (55%) group 3 cases were also viraemic. Viraemia was confirmed by a branched DNA assay in the 2 group 2 cases and 4 (36%) group 3 cases. Serum HCV RNA levels were further studied using a competitive reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction assay. All cases in groups 2 and 3 were low viraemic (range 10 4 –10 5.5 copies/ml) compared with the 9 group 1 cases examined (range 10 7 –10 9 copies/ml). No correlation was evident between viraemic levels and antibody cut‐off index in the first‐generation assay. These findings indicate the possibility that low levels of viraemia can occur in individuals non‐reactive in second‐generation HCV antibody assays.