Frequency of Hepatitis C Virus Infection among Egyptian Blood Donors with Negative ELISA Test

Abstract

Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease caused by HCV , sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence of HCV infection worldwide 5.3%. Egypt is among the world highest prevalence rates of HCV infection 10-15%. Infection by HCV occurs after exposure to infected blood or other bodily fluids containing blood, this implies several possible modes of transmission including parenteral transmission ,sexual transmission and vertical transmission, Nosocomial procedures are likely the leading source of HCV transmissions worldwide. Diagnosis of HCV infection occur by detection of HCV antibodies in serum by ELIZA and by detection of nucleic acid RNA of the virus through NAT technology of PCR. The present study shows frequency of hepatitis C virus Iinfection among Egyptian blood donors in central blood bank of Ain Shams hospitals in duration of January to March2013 done on7693 donors. The prevalence of HCV positive donors equal 4.27% of total donors by ELIZA. The negative donors by ELIZA equal 95.73% of total donors by ELIZA, after doning PCR for them found 2 females positive equal 0.027%. NAT technology of PCR is faster in HCV detection 15 days in comparison to ELIZA which take several weeks for detection of antibodies and also more confirmative.