title: [Prevalence of hepatitis C virus in the blood bank at Centro Médico Nacional La Raza].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are no records on the prevalence of infection by HCV in Mexican population. The central area of Mexico is a highly dense demographic zone and is the influence area of the second blood bank in Latin America in terms of affluence.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively studied the prevalence and genotypes of HCV infection in 5105 individuals attending the Central Blood Bank of Centro Médico Nacional La Raza regardless if they were accepted or rejected as donors. We applied a quimiolumiscence assay as a screening test. A recombinant immunoassay (RIBA) and a qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed as confirmatory tests and to detect viremia, respectively. Virus genotype was identified by means of a Line Immuno Probe Assay in PCR positive samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of HCV infection was 0.195% (10/5105). Viremia was detected in 90% of the subjects. The prevalence of accepted donors (0.087%) was significantly lower (p = 0.017) than that of the rejected ones (0.421%). Among viremic subjects, 60 % were infected with genotype 2 and 40% with a subtype combination (a/b) of genotype 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of HCV infection in our population was significantly lower than the world mean prevalence estimated in 3 %. A higher prevalence of genotype 2 in asymptomatic individuals contrasts with previous studies with a selected population where genotype 1 prevailed.
authors.affiliation: Banco Central de Sangre, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Distrito Federal, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social.
authors.forename: Gamaliel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benítez-Arvizu
authors.forename: Rudyard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cortez-Gómez
authors.forename: Bárbara Alicia
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Novelo-Garza
authors.forename: Araceli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malagón-Martínez
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guerra-Márquez
authors.forename: María Del Consuelo
authors.initials: Mdel C
authors.lastname: Alvarado-Maldonado
authors.forename: Mireya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Bartolo
authors.forename: Rosa María
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Argüelles-Pimentel
authors.forename: Reyna Gabriela
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Barrera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001771:Blood Banks; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence