title: Anti-hepatitis C virus positivity (HCV) in Belgian volunteer blood donors: source of contamination and HCV-testing among donors and related recipients.
abstract: We investigated a group of Belgian HCV-100 Elisa positive volunteer blood donors for potential sources of contamination and the presence of liver biochemical abnormalities. In addition, results of serological testing and liver biochemistry of their related blood products recipients were also analysed. In blood donors, anti-HCV-100 repeat reactive rate was 0.77% with a 34% rate of abnormal liver function tests. A potential source of parenteral exposure was found in all donors with RIBA-confirmed HCV-100 positivity. Among recipients, anti-HCV-100 RIBA-2 positive blood product donations were associated with RIBA-2 seroconversion, a history of transfusion in donors being of high predictive value of infectivity.
authors.affiliation: Service de Gastro-entérologie, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc (UCL), Belgique.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Hoof
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Waterloos
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cornu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Bruyère
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Geubel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies