Risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection. A case-control study of blood donors in the Trent Region (UK).

The introduction of screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) by the National Blood Transfusion Service identified donors who had acquired HCV infection. We undertook a case-control study amongst blood donors in the Trent Region to determine risks for HCV infection. A total of 74 blood donors confirmed positive for hepatitis C infection and 150 age, sex and donor venue matched controls were included in the study. Fifty-three percent of hepatitis C infected blood donors reported previous use of injected drugs compared to no controls; relative risk (RR) not estimatable (lower limit 95% CI = 20). Other risk factors were a history of: receipt of a blood transfusion or blood products RR = 3.6 (95% CI 1.5-8.3), having been a ''health care worker'' RR = 2.8 (95% CI 1.1-7.6), tattooing RR = 3.3 (95% CI 1.2-8.7), and an association with having been born abroad RR = 3.2 (95% CI 1.1-9.5). No risk was shown for a history of multiple sexual partners, ear piercing or acupuncture. Injecting drug use explains more than 50% of hepatitis C infections in blood donors, a group who are less likely to have injected drugs than the general population.     

Iatrogenic GB virus C/hepatitis G virus infection in an area endemic for hepatitis C virus

GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) is reported to be transmitted by blood products. This study reports infection with GBV-C/HGV from Area-O of town T, an area of high prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). Four hundred and thirty-five inhabitants of Area-O in town T were examined. Three hundred and forty-three inhabitants of Area-H in town T (where differences of age or sex are not markedly different to Area-O) were studied as controls. We investigated the virus markers and conducted a survey of life history in both areas. The seroprevalence of anti-HCV and GBV-C/HGV markers in Area-O was 17.7% and 11.7%, significantly higher than in Area-H (1.5% and 4.4%). The prevalence of GBV-C/HGV markers was significantly higher in the anti-HCV-positive group than in the sero-negative group. Anti-HCV- or GBV-C/HGV positive subjects tended to have a history of intravenous medications at hospital C in town T, suggesting iatrogenic infection through insufficient sterilization of needles and/or syringes.     

Risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection in former Brazilian soccer players

We evaluated the occurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 97 former soccer players who played in Recife, Brazil in the 1960s and 1970s, and analysed the risk factors for infection, such as history of transfusions, surgery, tattoos, piercings, and the use of illicit drugs or injectable vitamin complexes. Immunochromatographic testing was performed to detect anti-HCV antibodies. All former soccer players were men (mean age 59·2 years), of whom 62 (64%) and 35 (36%) were classified as amateurs and professionals, respectively. Seven (7·2%) tested positive for anti-HCV antibodies; three (4·8%) were amateurs, and four (11·4%) were professionals. In univariate analysis, transfusion, surgery, and use of injectable vitamin complexes were associated with HCV infection, while in multivariate analysis, only the use of injectable vitamin complexes was related (P=0·0005). We observed a high frequency of HCV infection in former soccer players, especially in professionals who used injectable vitamin complexes.     

Antibodies to hepatitis C virus in blood donors

Recently a recombinant polypeptide of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been developed by the Chiron Corporation in California. This antigen has been used to develop an ELISA test (Ortho Diagnostic Systems) for serum anti-HCV antibodies. Preliminary data have shown that this virus is the major cause of NANB hepatitis in the world. We examined differences in anti-HCV prevalence among subgroups of blood donors (total sera examined 639) classified for past or present exposure to HBV or not, and for ALT levels. The anti-HCV prevalence found in regular blood donors with normal ALT levels and no antibody to HBcAg was 1.2%. No significant difference in the anti-HCV prevalence was found among other subgroups of blood donors except that a higher prevalence (10%) was found in a group with both elevated ALT and HBV markers.These preliminary findings suggest that the policy of blood supply should take into account the advent of HCV antibody test.     

Hepatitis C virus infection in blood donors in Egypt.

A study was carried out on 90 serum samples from non-professional blood donors to find out the relative prevalence of HBV and HCV among those blood donors. Results demonstrated overall positivity rate of 14.4% for anti-HCV by RIBA test. The percentage of reactive sera was 6% for the age group of 20 to below 30 years, and 37.5% in those aged above 30 years, and this difference was statistically significant. Considering the combined reactivity of the tested 90 sera for anti-HBs and anti-HCV, the results showed that 41.1% of the sera were positive for anti-HBs; 10% reacted positively with both anti-HBs and anti-HCV, and 4.4% of the sera were positive for anti-HCV only. The high prevalence of anti-HCV in this study (14.4%) exceeds that reported in other countries, and is comparable with that of Saeed and associates (1991). These results may indicate endemicity of HCV in Egypt and/or a possible role of the endemic schistosomiasis. On the basis of data, suggesting that anti-HCV reflects persistent infection rather than immunity, screening for anti-HCV should be included in all blood transfusion services to exclude HCV which is responsible for 90% of PTH (Van der Poel et al., 1990; Weiner et al., 1990; and Esteban et al., 1991). The remarkably high seroprevalence of anti-HCV among Egyptian volunteer blood donors, which has not so far been reported from other countries, should be thoroughly studied. This should cover many aspects including large epidemiological studies, factors pertinent to Egypt as schistosomiasis, and other possible factors that might enhance HCV transmission in Egyptian population. High risk groups as the polytransfused and renal dialysis patients should be studied. Needless to say that, an accurate measure of HCV prevalence depends on specificity and sensitivity of the employed laboratory diagnostic tests; development of new tests for the detection of antibodies to HCV, together with development of tests for other markers such as HCV antigen and the polymerase chain reaction to detect HCV DNA in blood, will be of great help.     

Changing prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among teenagers in an endemic area in Taiwan

Tzukuan Township in Taiwan has been reported to be an endemic area for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection both in adults and adolescents. The maritime part of the township carries a higher prevalence than the non-maritime part and, as a consequence, several public education strategies have been introduced during the past decade. The current follow-up study aimed to clarify the changing prevalence of HCV infection among teenagers in the endemic maritime part of Tzukuan. In addition to viral hepatitis markers and biochemical profiles, we compared the epidemiological characteristics of 887 and 394 teenagers (aged 13-16 years) from the maritime part enrolled in 1995 and 2005, respectively. Compared with the results of surveillance in 1995, the prevalence of anti-HCV seropositivity (1.0% vs. 2.8%; P=0.045) and HCV RNA (0.5% vs. 2.3%; P=0.026) had decreased significantly by 2005. Transfusions and anti-HCV-positive families were the main risk factors amongst the 25 anti-HCV-positive teenagers in 1995, and became non-significant amongst the four anti-HCV-positive teenagers in 2005. In conclusion, the seroprevalence of HCV infection has significantly decreased after one decade of intervention among the teenage population in this endemic area.     

Risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection among Egyptian healthcare workers in a national liver diseases referral centre

Little is known about the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among healthcare workers (HCW) in Egypt, where the highest worldwide prevalence of HCV exists. The prevalence of HCV, hepatitis B virus and Schistosoma mansoni antibodies was examined in 842 HCWs at the National Liver Institute in the Nile Delta, where >85% of patients are HCV antibody-positive. The mean age of HCWs was 31.5 years and they reported an average of 0.6±1.2 needlesticks/HCW/year. The prevalence of anti-HCV, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and co-infection was 16.6%, 1.5% and 0.2%, respectively. HCV-RNA was present in 72.1% of anti-HCV-positive HCWs, and all but one subject were infected with HCV genotype 4. Schistosoma mansoni antibodies were present in 35.1%. The anti-HCV rate increased sharply with age and employment duration, but not among those with needlestick history. After adjusting for other risk factors, the anti-HCV rate was higher among older HCWs [P<0.001; risk ratio (RR) = 1.086, 95% CI 1.063-1.11], males (P=0.002; RR=1.911, 95% CI 1.266-2.885) and those with rural residence (P<0.001; RR=2.876, 95% CI 1.830-4.52). Occupation (P=0.133), duration of employment (P=0.272) or schistosomal antibody positivity (P=0.152) were not significant risk factors for anti-HCV positivity. In conclusion, although one in six HCWs had been infected with HCV, the infections were more likely to be community-acquired and not occupationally related.     

High prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection and genotype distribution among general population, blood donors and risk groups.

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the general population and in various high risk groups in south India was assessed. A total of 258 out of 3589 (7.1%) subjects (both general and risk groups) tested positive for HCV RNA by RT-PCR, while the third generation ELISA detected only 6.1% (221/3589). This suggests that a number of cases go unreported, as screening of blood and blood products is done primarily by ELISA. Among 124 chronic renal failure (CRF) patients with a history of renal transplant or haemodialysis, 37% were found to be positive for HCV RNA by RT-PCR. We also found a significantly higher rate of transmission of HCV among people exposed to tattooing (2.8%) and pilgrims (5.8%) (slashing a cultural practice in one sect of Muslims). In addition, our studies also reveal a high prevalence of HCV infection (44%) among patients with Lichen planus. The most prevalent genotype observed in our population was 1b (43.4%) followed by 3b (30.2%). The other genotype 1a was observed in 16.6% of patients followed by 3a observed in 3.4% of the patients. Our findings suggest that HCV may be the major cause of post-transplant hepatitis in Indian patients with CRF and indicate the necessity for stringent screening procedures for these viral infections.     

Risk factors associated with hepatitis C virus infection in Taiwanese government employees

This study evaluated the roles of multiple factors in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with emphasis on the modification of various individual characteristics on the risk associated with percutaneous exposure to blood. Serum samples taken from 4869 men in Taiwan within a cohort study were tested for HCV antibody. The overall positive rate of anti-HCV was 1.6%. In a logistic regression, factors positively associated with anti-HCV positivity were previous blood transfusion (odds ratio [OR] = 7.28: 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.26-12.45), a history of surgery (OR = 2.06: 95% CI = 1 23-3.46), and lower educational levels (OR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.14-3.32). The anti-HCV positive rate was significantly lower in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers than in non-carriers (OR = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.37-0.95). Ageing, lower educational levels, O blood group, and Taiwanese ethnicity enhanced the likelihood of HCV infection through blood transfusion/surgery, whereasHBsAg status, cigarette smoking, and habitual alcohol drinking reduced it.     

河北省某献血村村民丙型肝炎病毒流行状况调查及危险因素分析

丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)主要经血液传播。在我国《献血法》颁布之前的20世纪80—90年代初,农村地区非法卖血现象十分普遍,多地献血人群因此引起严重的血源性HCV感染。     

献血员中庚型肝炎病毒血清流行病学

目的 研究庚型肝炎病毒（ＨＧＶ）在献血员中的感染状况。方法 采用酶联免疫吸附试验（ＥＬＩＳＡ）和逆转录聚合酶链反应（ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ）法检测５９７名献血员（包括职业献血员２９７例和无偿献血员３００例）和７２１例正常人群血清标本。结果 职业献血员无偿献血员、正常人群抗－ＨＧＶ阳性率分别为２．６９％（８／２９７）、０．３３％（１／３００）,０．７０％（５／７２１）,抗ＨＧＶ阳必 上ＲＮＡ阳性率分别为７５％     

柳州地区5761例无偿献血者戊型肝炎感染人群特征分析

目的 分析柳州地区无偿献血者戊型肝炎感染人群特征,为献血者招募提供参考. 方法 对柳州地区2019年10-11月常规筛查合格5 761例无偿献血者标本进行戊肝病毒抗原(HEV-Ag)、抗体(HEV-IgG、HEV-IgM)检测,采用x2检验分析不同特征人群戊型肝炎感染情况. 结果 5 751例无偿献血者HEV-IgG阳...     

长沙地区某医院血液透析患者HCV感染危险因素研究

目的了解长沙地区某医院血液透析患者丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）感染现患率以及影响HCV感染发生的危险因素。方法收集2010年1-7月在该院长期进行血液透析治疗的74例患者的一般情况和临床资料,用单因素和多因素Logistic回归分析了解其感染HCV的危险因素。结果74例患者中,HCV抗体阳性23例,HCV感染率31.08%。单因素分析筛选出的危险因素包括血液透析持续时间、输血史、接受透析治疗医院数、每周血液透析次数;多因素分析表明,血液透析持续时间和接受透析治疗医院数是影响HCV感染发生的主要危险因素。结论血液透析持续时间和接受透析治疗医院数是血液透析患者发生HCV感染的直接危险因素。     

深圳市外来务工人群丙型肝炎基因型分布及感染危险因素研究

目的 了解深圳市外来务工人群丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)感染者的基因型分布,并探讨该群体感染HCV的危险因素,为掌握本市外来务工群体HCV流行特点提供科学依据.方法 选取为本地外来务工人员提供体检服务的健康体检门诊2个,选择2014年1月至12月期间诊断出的HCV感染者进行基因型检测分析;并将其作为病例组,选择同时期同门诊中...     

Risk factors for hepatitis B virus infection in US Army soldiers in Europe.

Cross-sectional and case-control studies were conducted in a US Army unit which had experienced a protracted outbreak of viral hepatitis. Serological, demographic, and exposure data were collected. The cross-sectional study found that there was no association between the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and ethnicity, education, and rank. There was an association with age and duration of assignment to the unit. Having social contact with an identified hepatitis patient and the sharing of personal hygiene items with a case were significant risk factors for HBV infection. Through the use of anonymous questionnaires, the case-control study evaluated various behavioural factors. Univariate analysis indicated moderate but not significant increases in risk associated with a history of multiple sex partners and a history of disciplinary problems while in the military. Six drug-use related risk factors were significantly associated with HBV infection on univariate analysis. When evaluated with multivariate analysis, the only risk factor that was significantly associated with HBV infection was injection of drugs while assigned to the study unit. Two sources of misclassification bias were identified, both of which acted to underestimate the true risk associated with identified risk factors.     

周口市无偿献血者的HIV感染情况

目的调查无偿献血者人类免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)感染情况,了解无偿献血者HIV感染流行趋势,筛选安全献血者,促进输血安全。方法选择2008年1月—2015年12月周口市中心血站的无偿献血者为研究对象。所有献血者均按照《血站技术操作规程》采集血液并检测,初复检有反应性的献血者样本送周口市疾病预防控制中心做确认实验。结果参加无偿献血的共334 560人次,确认HIV阳性44人次,HIV抗体阳性率为13.15/10万。继2010年低值后呈逐年上升趋势,近三年以每年5/10万的速度递增。不同文化程度、职业的无偿献血者HIV抗体阳性率比较,差异均有统计学意义(均P0.05);而不同性别、年龄的无偿献血者HIV抗体阳性率比较,差异无统计学意义(均P0.05)。结论近年来无偿献血者HIV流行趋势发生变化,为保证输血安全,采供血机构应加强HIV筛查,建立HIV筛查信息屏蔽系统,普及艾滋病防治知识。     

长沙地区无偿献血人群隐匿性乙型肝炎病毒感染情况分析

目的 了解长沙地区无偿献血人群隐匿性乙型肝炎病毒感染(occult hepatitis B virus infection,OBI)流行情况,探讨HBV基因型分布特征和S区氨基酸突变的情况。方法 对长沙地区检测结果为HBsAg-/HBV DNA+的无偿献血血液样本进行HBV血清标志物检测,对其中的OBI样本进行HBV病毒载量检测和S区基因扩增,分析血清学标志物抗HBs与病毒载量检出与否的关系,并对扩增产物进行HBV基因分型和突变位点分析。结果 2019年1月—2020年1月长沙地区173 893份无偿献血标本共确认58例OBI样本,OBI流行率为0.033%;共发现7种血清学模式,抗HBc单独阳性最多,占38.98%,所有样本中抗HBc阳性率为89.83%;16例样本能检测出病毒载量,其中14例样本浓度小于100 IU/ml;抗HBs阳性组和阴性组间的病毒载量检出率无统计学差异;75.0%(12/16)样本扩增出S区序列,基因型均为B型,均发生突变,其中11例的HBsAg抗原决定簇及周边主要亲水区域(major hydrophilic region, MHR)发生氨基酸突变。结论 长沙地区无偿献血者中的OBI感染率在全国属于偏低水平;HBV基因型主要是B型,MHR区的氨基酸突变可能是造成OBI的原因,突变有本地特点。