Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Post-Transfusion Hepatitis

Abstract

Abstract Background. The causes of post-transfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis are still not fully defined, nor is it clear how accurate the tests are that are used to screen blood donors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and to diagnose post-transfusion hepatitis caused by infected blood. Methods. We used two first-generation enzyme-linked immunoassays (ElAs) and one second-generation immunoassay to test for anti-HCV antibodies in serum samples collected between 1976 and 1979 in the Transfusion-Transmitted Viruses Study (from 1247 patients who underwent transfusion and 1235 matched control subjects who did not receive transfusions). We tested serum collected before and after infection from the patients in whom non-A, non-B hepatitis developed, serum from their blood donors, and serum from 41 of the control subjects who had hepatitis unrelated to transfusion. Results. Of the 115 patients in whom post-transfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis developed, the initial serum samples of 111 were anti-HCV-negative; after hepatit...