Epidemiological characteristics of occult hepatitis C virus and safety of blood transfusion / 中国输血杂志

Occult hepatitis C infection (OCI) is defined as HCV RNA not detected in serum or plasma but in hepatocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). OCI exists in general population and voluntary blood donors, and its infectivity and risk of transmission by transfusion has been confirmed. HCV RNA in PBMCs could not be detected in plasma or serum by blood screening in transfusion services, neither by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay nor by nucleic acid amplification testing. OCI has become a potential threat to transfusion safety, therefore effective detection technologies and transmission blocking strategies need to be further developed.