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Hepatitis C virus seroconversion rate in established blood donors
H I Atrah1, F Hutchinson, D Gough
1West Midlands Regional Blood Transfusion Centre, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Journal of Medical Virology
|August 1, 1995
Summary
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody screening of blood donations revealed a low seroconversion rate in established donors. This suggests continued screening of all donors is crucial for blood safety.
Area of Science:
- Transfusion Medicine
- Virology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) poses a significant risk to blood transfusion safety.
- Retrospective analysis of blood donations from 1993 was conducted to assess HCV antibody seroconversion rates.
Observation:
- 237,813 donations from 143,815 donors were analyzed.
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) identified 0.22% positive donors, while ELISA and Recombinant Immuno Blot Assay (RIBA) confirmed 0.024% as positive.
- Three previously negative donors tested positive by both ELISA and RIBA.
Findings:
- The annual HCV antibody seroconversion rate was determined to be 1 in 35,937 donors.
- A notable finding was the unexpectedly high positive reaction rates among lapsed blood donors compared to new donors.
- The RIBA-positive reaction rate among ELISA-positive donors was significantly higher in males than females.
Implications:
- The calculated seroconversion rate supports the continued screening of all blood donors, not just new ones.
- The higher prevalence in lapsed donors warrants further investigation into donor behavior and risk factors.
- Findings highlight the importance of robust screening protocols to ensure blood supply safety.