PCR testing for HCV in anti-HCV negative blood donors involved in the so called HCV +ve post-transfusion hepatitis.
Although it is infrequent, post-transfusion HCV infection may occur if the donors blood is collected in the window period between exposure and anti-HCV detectability by ELISA testing.


METHODS
In these last years, despite of routine application of anti-HCV testing, our blood transfusion center has been involved in 53 cases of alleged post-transfusion HCV hepatitis and look-back programs were set up with the goal of finding out the donors possibly involved in viral transmission. Most of these patients were hematological cases with multiple transfusions given because of aplastic anemia (3 cases), leukemia with or without bone marrow transplantation (5/4 cases) but necessitating long-term platelet support, leukemia and solid cancer patients undergoing autologous PBSC transplantation (3/4 cases) and TTP (2 cases). Only 32 patients were of the simple medical or surgical type, 9 transfused because of cardiac or vascular surgery, 8 because of spine surgery, 5 for different diseases and 5 for different types of cancer surgery. Donor's infectivity was determined by ELISA anti-HCV testing, by recombinant immunoblotting assay, and by nucleic acid testing.


CONCLUSIONS
No donors out of 267 traced of a total of 359 involved was found with anti-HCV seroconversion, or positive on PCR testing. This suggests that the responsibility for HCV transmission can only hypothetically be related to blood or blood components and that other transmission routes should be found out.
Ruzzenenti
M R
MR
Immunohematology Services, San Martino University Hospital, Largo R. Benzi 10, 16132, Genoa, Italy.
De Luigi
M C
MC
Bruni
R
R
Giannini
G
G
Bo
A
A
Valbonesi
M
M
Barresi
R
R
Torretta
F
F
Gianotti
P
P
Bruzzone
B
B
D001782:Blood Donors / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral