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Prevalence of hepatitis C in patients with primary antibody deficiency

A D Webster1, D Brown, A Franz

  • 1Department of Clinical Immunology, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.

Clinical and Experimental Immunology
|January 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening in 44 immunodeficiency patients found no new infections from immunoglobulin therapy in England. This suggests UK immunoglobulin products are safe, but manufacturers should enhance screening.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Virology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Sporadic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have been linked to contaminated immunoglobulin treatments in immunocompromised patients.
  • Previous studies indicated a high prevalence of HCV in similar patient cohorts in Italy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the incidence of HCV RNA in patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) receiving immunoglobulin therapy.
  • To evaluate the safety of immunoglobulin products used in the UK for patients with immunodeficiency.

Main Methods:

  • Serum samples from 44 patients with immunodeficiency were screened for HCV RNA.
  • Investigated potential horizontal and iatrogenic transmission routes within the clinic.

Main Results:

  • No evidence of horizontal or iatrogenic HCV infection was found in the studied cohort, except for three patients with known exposure to contaminated batches or plasma infusions.
  • The incidence of HCV infection among CVID patients in England appears low despite exposure to various immunoglobulin products.

Conclusions:

  • Current intramuscular and intravenous immunoglobulin preparations in the UK are considered safe for CVID patients.
  • Manufacturers are encouraged to implement Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) screening for all immunoglobulin batches to further ensure safety and prevent potential HCV transmission.

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