High prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in dialysis patients: failure of commercially available antibody tests to identify a significant number of patients with HCV infection. Copenhagen Dialysis HCV Study Group.
Results of serologic tests were correlated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) viremia, determined by a cDNA polymerase chain reaction assay to detect HCV RNA, in 340 Danish dialysis patients; of these, 28 (8.2%) were positive for antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) with second-generation ELI-SAs. HCV RNA was found in sera from 27 of these 28 anti-HCV-positive patients. However, 8 dialysis patients had detectable levels of HCV RNA but were anti-HCV-negative with second-generation ELISAs. Among the 35 HCV-infected dialysis patients 16 were positive, 7 indeterminate, and 12 negative with the second-generation RIBA. More than 60% of patients with evidence of ongoing liver disease had HCV infection. Thus, current commercially available antibody tests did not accurately reflect the HCV status in dialysis patients. A relatively high prevalence (> 10%) of HCV RNA, closely associated with liver disease, was found among dialysis patients in a low-prevalence area of the world.
Bukh
J
J
Hepatitis Viruses Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Wantzin
P
P
Krogsgaard
K
K
Knudsen
F
F
Purcell
R H
RH
Miller
R H
RH
D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral; D003956:Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012698:Serologic Tests; D014766:Viremia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral