Document 0237
 DOCN  M9440237
 TI    Markers of hepatitis C virus infection in Sardinian blood donors:
       relationship with alanine aminotransferase levels.
 DT    9404
 AU    Lai ME; Mazzoleni AP; Farci P; Melis A; Porru A; Orgiana G; Arnone M;
       Balestrieri A; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cagliari,
       Italy.
 SO    J Med Virol. 1993 Dec;41(4):282-8. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/94149440
 AB    Serum samples from 1,765 consecutive Sardinian blood donors, negative
       for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and for antibodies to human
       immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (anti-HIV), were evaluated for the presence
       of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) by second-generation
       ELISA. Anti-HCV was detected in 25 (1.45%) of the 1,765 donors examined.
       Anti-HCV was found in 15 of the 1,690 (0.9%) donors with normal alanine
       aminotransferase (ALT) and in 10 of the 75 (13%) donors with elevated
       ALT (P < 0.0001). Of the 15 anti-HCV-positive donors with normal ALT,
       only five (33%) were confirmed to be positive by second-generation RIBA,
       six (40%) were indeterminate, while four (27%) were RIBA negative. HCV
       RNA, as detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a set of
       primers from the 5'-noncoding region, was found in six of the 15 (40%)
       donors with normal ALT, including five RIBA positive and one
       indeterminant. Of the 10 anti-HCV-positive donors with elevated ALT, all
       were RIBA positive and eight (80%) had detectable HCV RNA. Thus, among
       ELISA-reactive donors, those with elevated ALT had a significantly
       higher probability of being positive for second-generation RIBA and HCV
       RNA compared to those with normal ALT levels (P = 0.028). None of the 65
       donors with elevated ALT but negative for anti-HCV by ELISA had
       detectable serum HCV RNA, as compared to eight of 10 anti-HCV
       ELISA-positive donors (P < 0.0001). However, although negative for
       HBsAg, 12 of the 65 (18%) had serum HBV DNA by PCR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED
       AT 250 WORDS)
 DE    Adolescence  Adult  Alanine Aminotransferase/*BLOOD  Base Sequence
       *Blood Donors  DNA, Viral/BLOOD  Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
       Female  Hepatitis Antibodies/*BLOOD  Hepatitis B Virus/GENETICS
       Hepatitis C/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/IMMUNOLOGY  Hepatitis C
       Viruses/GENETICS/*IMMUNOLOGY  Human  Italy/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Male  Middle
       Age  Molecular Sequence Data  Polymerase Chain Reaction
       Radioimmunoassay  RNA, Viral/BLOOD  Sensitivity and Specificity  JOURNAL
       ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).