Abstract
Blood donors are routinely screened for hepatitis C virus infection. Some individuals have weak or restricted virus-specific antibody responses, and are classed as indeterminate. Such donors are almost always negative for viral RNA in blood. We postulated that previous transient virus exposure might account for some of these cases. With sensitive ex-vivo analyses of T-cell responses, we identified virus-specific responses in 15 of 30 indeterminate blood donors tested, compared with none in controls (p=0·0013). Additionally, these responses were typically focused on core-derived peptides. These findings suggest previous exposure to the virus in many indeterminate blood donors. Blood donors are routinely screened for hepatitis C virus infection. Some individuals have weak or restricted virus-specific antibody responses, and are classed as indeterminate. Such donors are almost always negative for viral RNA in blood. We postulated that previous transient virus exposure might account for some of these cases. With sensitive ex-vivo analyses of T-cell responses, we identified virus-specific responses in 15 of 30 indeterminate blood donors tested, compared with none in controls (p=0·0013). Additionally, these responses were typically focused on core-derived peptides. These findings suggest previous exposure to the virus in many indeterminate blood donors. Hepatitis C virus in blood donationThe natural history of infection by hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the northern hemisphere indicates that 80% or more of infected individuals become chronic carriers.1 Infection is currently defined by the presence of specific antibodies identified by the association of a reactive screening assay and confirmation by recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA), with or without the presence of detectable viral RNA. Confirmed positivity in RIBA is defined as reactivity with at least two of the four viral recombinant antigens, separately lined in the assay. Full-Text PDF
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