title: Antibody to hepatitis C virus in blood donors found positive for other agents. I. Treponemal infection.
abstract: Stored serum samples from 169 blood donors found positive for TPHA were tested for antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) and to hepatitis B core (anti-HBc), as evidence of previous HBV infection, a condition known to be sexually transmissible. Only three donors were positive with a 'first generation' anti-HCV and all three failed to confirm with a recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA). In contrast, 33 (19.5%) of the TPHA-positive donors were positive for anti-HBc. The results suggest that sexual transmission is not a major factor in the spread of HCV.
authors.affiliation: North London Blood Transfusion Centre, London, U.K.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aloysius
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Howell
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Barbara
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D013587:Syphilis / Q000150:complications; D013588:Syphilis Serodiagnosis; D014210:Treponema pallidum; D014211:Treponemal Infections / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies