Prevalence of hepatitis C virus in family members of patients with hepatitis C.
To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus in the family members of patients with hepatitis C, we examined antibody to hepatitis C virus with a second-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and viral RNA with a combined assay of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction in sera. Among 219 (75 spouses, 110 children, and 34 others), 26 (12%) were antibody positive. The positive rate of antibody to hepatitis C virus was significantly higher than that of the control group (2.0%) and of volunteer blood donors in our district (1.5%), and it increased with age. In particular, the positive rate of antibody to hepatitis C virus among spouses was high (24%). Among family members with elevated ALT, 59% were antibody positive, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (11%). Of the 26 who were antibody positive, 21 (81%) had viral RNA, whereas of the 70 who were antibody negative, only one (1.4%) had viral RNA. These data suggest that hepatitis C virus was transmitted by the infrafamilial route during long duration of contact with patients or sexual transmission. In family members, hepatitis C viral infection is the main cause of liver disorder, and many who were antibody-positive with a second-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay had viremia in the sera.
Oshita
M
M
First Department of Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Hayashi
N
N
Kasahara
A
A
Yuki
N
N
Takehara
T
T
Hagiwara
H
H
Hayakawa
Y
Y
Yasumatsuya
Y
Y
Kishida
Y
Y
Fusamoto
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001483:Base Sequence; D001782:Blood Donors; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D000410:Alanine Transaminase