title: Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus and other markers in Jamaica.
abstract: Three population groups, 1500 blood donors, 513 antenatal women representing a normal population group and 250 sicklers representing a multiply transfused group were studied to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection in Jamaica. The relationship to liver enzyme levels, hepatitis B infection, syphilis and HIV infection was also investigated. Sera were screened by enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA) for anti-HCV C100-3 and subsequently tested by a supplementary second generation recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA). In the blood donors, the prevalence of anti-HCV was low, 0.3%-0.4%, the same level as that reported by several European countries. In the multiply transfused sicklers, the prevalence was more than seven times higher. No HCV infection was detected in the antenatal group. There was little correlation between HCV infection and surrogate markers alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) and no correlation with sexually transmitted diseases.
authors.affiliation: University of the West Indies, Jamaica.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: R Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Dodd
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haynes
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Wynter
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Serjeant
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Choo-Kang
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Michael
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D007563:Jamaica / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies