Confirmation of hepatitis C virus positive blood donors by immunoblotting and polymerase chain reaction.
In a series of 385 sera obtained from volunteer blood donors positive for the first-generation hepatitis C virus assay (Ortho), the viral genome was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 89 sera (23%). Most PCR-positive sera were found positive with the c100-3 neutralisation assay (Abbott) and by two second-generation enzyme immunoassays (Abbott, Ortho). However overall specificity of these assays was rather low. By immunoblotting (Innogenetics and Chiron/Ortho) the specificity could be considerably improved and the best correlation with carrier state was obtained when analysing the results for lane-specific reaction: all 89 viral carriers and only 9 other donors had antibodies against structural 'core' epitopes. From the present data we can conclude that in screening a volunteer blood donor population the confirmation of antibodies against 'core' epitopes by immunoblotting is strongly associated with viral carriage.
De Beenhouwer
H
H
Belgian Red Cross Blood Transfusion Centre, Leuven.
Verhaert
H
H
Claeys
H
H
Vermylen
C
C
D001483:Base Sequence; D001782:Blood Donors; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies