Hepatitis C in the health care setting. II. Seroprevalence among hemodialysis staff and patients in suburban New York City.
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a newly identified blood-borne virus that may pose an occupational hazard for health care workers. Hemodialysis nurses could be anticipated to be at high risk for HCV infection because this group of health care workers frequently comes into contact with blood of a patient population with a seroprevalence rate of at least 10%.


METHODS
To assess the risk of HCV infection for hemodialysis nurses, serum samples from all of the nurses (22/22, 100%) and patients (125/125, 100%) in one hemodialysis unit (unit A) and 85% (29/34) of nurses from a second unit (unit B), both units in suburban New York City, were tested for HCV antibodies. Samples with positive results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay underwent supplemental testing by a first-generation recombinant immunoblot assay.


RESULTS
Twenty-four (19%) of the hemodialysis patients in unit A were HCV seropositive. Despite an average of 4.7 years spent working in hemodialysis unit A, none of the nurses tested seropositive for HCV antibody. In unit B, despite an average of 6.4 years working in the unit studied, only one nurse tested seropositive for HCV antibody. This nurse reported a long history of elevated liver function values and a negative HBV core antibody status that predated her hemodialysis nursing career.


CONCLUSIONS
In contrast to the experience with hepatitis B virus infection, hemodialysis nurses appear to be at low risk for occupationally acquired HCV infection.
Forseter
G
G
Division of Infectious Diseases, New York Medical College, Valhalla.
Wormser
G P
GP
Adler
S
S
Lebovics
E
E
Calmann
M
M
O'Brien
T A
TA
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006436:Hemodialysis Units, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013383:Suburban Population