Impact of screening blood donors for hepatitis C antibody on posttransfusion hepatitis: a prospective study with a second-generation anti-hepatitis C virus assay.
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis C is the major cause of posttransfusion hepatitis. Blood components that are positive for antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) can transmit posttransfusion hepatitis.


METHODS
To investigate the effect on posttransfusion hepatitis of screening blood donors with a second-generation test for anti-HCV, 249 transfusion recipients who underwent cardiovascular surgery were prospectively followed. Six recipients who were positive for anti-HCV before transfusion and 51 subjects with incomplete follow-up were excluded from this study.


RESULTS
Eleven (13.8%) of 80 subjects who received unscreened blood had two successive serum alanine aminotransferase levels > 90 U per L. Seven (8.8% of total) developed anti-HCV and HCV RNA and two (2.5% of total) developed IgM antibody to cytomegalovirus (IgM anti-CMV). By contrast, 3 (2.7%) of the 112 subjects who received anti-HCV-screened blood had two successive serum alanine aminotransferase levels > 90 U per L. None of these three developed anti-HCV and HCV RNA, but two (1.8% of total) showed the development of IgM anti-CMV. The study shows that screening for anti-HCV in blood donors with a second-generation test almost abrogated posttransfusion viral hepatitis C.


CONCLUSIONS
After anti-HCV screening, other body fluid-transmitted viruses such as CMV may become important in posttransfusion hepatitis.
Huang
Y Y
YY
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yang
S S
SS
Wu
C H
CH
Shih
W S
WS
Huang
C S
CS
Chen
P H
PH
Lin
Y M
YM
Shen
C T
CT
Chen
D S
DS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral