Confirmation of hepatitis C virus infection by new four-antigen recombinant immunoblot assay.
A new four-antigen recombinant immunoblot assay (4-RIBA) for confirmation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) C-100 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) reactivity was tested in stored serum samples (1984-86) of blood donors and recipients and compared with results from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of fresh (1990) plasma samples in donors and recipients from the original study. Of 37 HCV C-100 ELISA-positive blood products, 8 were 4-RIBA positive, of which 7 were implicated in post-transfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis (PT-NANBH) and/or PCR confirmed recipient HCV infection. Of 9 recipients with PT-NANBH, 8 were reactive in 4-RIBA (6 positive and 2 indeterminate). With fresh plasma samples, 3 donors and 6 recipients who were 4-RIBA positive were also PCR positive. 4 4-RIBA indeterminate and 78 4-RIBA negative samples of donors and recipients were PCR negative. Of 6 4-RIBA positive recipients, 5 were PCR positive four to six years later. 1.6% of the 383 recipients became chronically infected with HCV. The new 4-RIBA represents a candidate confirmation test to discriminate between infective and non-infective HCV C-100 ELISA-positive blood donors.
Van der Poel
C L
CL
Red Cross Blood Bank Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Cuypers
H T
HT
Reesink
H W
HW
Weiner
A J
AJ
Quan
S
S
Di Nello
R
R
Van Boven
J J
JJ
Winkel
I
I
Mulder-Folkerts
D
D
Exel-Oehlers
P J
PJ
D001483:Base Sequence; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies