Effectiveness of Supplemental Enzyme Immunoassay Using Abbott IMx HCV Kit for the Anti-HCV Positive Donors / 대한수혈학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Only 39% was the positive predictive value of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody test done by Korean Red Cross. Supplemental enzyme immunoassay (EIA) by another EIA kit may be also effective for reporting the more correct result to donors, instead of expensive supplemental immunoblot test. METHODS: All repeatedly reactive blood samples by EIA from 16 regional blood centers were retested for anti-HCV antibody by Abbott IMx HCV kit and LG HCD CONFIRM immunoblot kit. Presence of viral RNA was also confirmed using Amplicor HCV TEST kit from 180 samples, which were proportionately selected according to supplemental EIA and Immunoblot results. RESULTS: Of 2,211 repeatedly reactive samples, 909 samples (41%) were reactive and 1,302 (59%) samples were non-reactive with IMx HCV kit. 81% of reactive samples also showed positive pattern on the LG HCD CONFIRM strips and 79% of 1,302 samples showed negative pattern. RNA positivity was estimated 66% and 17% in Abbott IMx HCV positive and negative samples respectively, and 72%, 6%, 20% in LG HCD CONFIRM positive, indeterminate and negative samples respectively. CONCLUSION: HCV RNA positivity in positive samples by Abbott IMx HCV or LG HCD CONFIRM was not statistically significant (z=0.57 < 1.96, alpha=0.05). RNA detection rate by Abbott IMx HCV or LG HCD CONFIRM among HCV RNA positive samples, which was estimated as 73%, 70% respectively, was also statistically insignificant (z=0.375 < 1.96, alpha=0.05). So, it seems to be a good and economical practice that donors are notified of anti-HCV antibody results after supplemental EIA test using Abbott IMx HCV kit.