Prevalence of hepatitis C virus ribonucleic acid in antibody screened blood in Northern Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Blood donors are currently screened for antibodies to hepatitis C virus [HCV] by enzyme immunoassay. This pilot study aimed to estimate the prevalence of viremic and potentially infectious donors by the HCV-RNA polymerase chain reaction [PCR] in donor population of Northern Pakistan and also to examine the prospects of adding nucleic acid testing [NAT] to serological screening protocols for donated blood with the purpose of reducing the risk of transfusion-transmission of HCV infection. Descriptive cross sectional study. The study was conducted at Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion, Rawalpindi in January 2010. Fifteen hundred samples negative for anti-HCV [EIA, third generation] were screened for HCV RNA using RT-PCR method for qualitative detection of HCV RNA, with a lower limit of detection of 200 Ill/ml. The prevalence of HCV RNA positivity in HCV antibody negative infectious blood could not be estimated as all blood donations were negative for HCV RNA. The prevalence of HCV transmission in anti-HCV screened blood has not yet been documented in Pakistan. The sample size [1500] of the pilot study was not large enough to predict prevalence of HCV RNA in anti-HCV tested blood donors. The introduction of NAT to screen donated blood has shown to improve blood -safety in developed world and is likely to have greater impact in Pakistan because of high prevalence of HCV in general population