title: Twenty-four mini-pool HCV RNA screening outside a blood transfusion setting: results of a 2-year prospective study.
abstract: The usefulness of 24 mini-pool hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA screening was evaluated in a 2-year prospective study carried out on a total of 6432 consecutive anti-HCV negative specimens in a routine diagnostic laboratory setting. A total of 268 mini-pools were tested using an automated commercial PCR assay for qualitative detection of HCV RNA, with a lower limit of detection of 50 IU/ml. Eighteen (0.28%) anti-HCV negative/HCV RNA positive serum samples obtained from 12 patients (all intravenous drug users), were detected. Ten patients responded to an invitation for follow-up testing. Five, three and one patient seroconverted in the first, second and third follow-up sample, respectively. One patient had not seroconverted by the end of the study period. The interval between the first HCV RNA positive sample and the first anti-HCV positive samples was 24-192 days. The costs of detecting a single anti-HCV negative/HCV RNA positive sample and a single anti-HCV negative/HCV RNA positive patient using the 24 mini-pool HCV RNA screening strategy were estimated to be around euro 643 and 965, respectively. It was shown that screening for HCV infection using the 24 mini-pool HCV RNA screening strategy can also be both useful and cost effective outside a blood transfusion setting.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty of Ljubljana, Zaloska 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. katja.seme@mf.uni-lj.si
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seme
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mocilnik
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujs
authors.forename: Dunja Z
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Babic
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Todorović
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fras-Stefan
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poljak
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral