M. Oshita et al., PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS-C VIRUS IN FAMILY MEMBERS OF PATIENTS WITH HEPATITIS-C, Journal of medical virology, 41(3), 1993, pp. 251-255
To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus in the family membe
rs of patients with hepatitis C, we examined antibody to hepatitis C v
irus with a second-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and vi
ral RNA with a combined assay of reverse transcription and polymerase
chain reaction in sera. Among 219 (75 spouses, 110 children, and 34 ot
hers), 26 (12%) were antibody positive. The positive rate of antibody
to hepatitis C virus was significantly higher than that of the control
group (2.0%) and of volunteer blood donors in our district (1.5%), an
d it increased with age. In particular, the positive rate of antibody
to hepatitis C virus among spouses was high (24%). Among family member
s with elevated ALT, 59% were antibody positive, which was significant
ly higher than that of the control group (11%). Of the 26 who were ant
ibody positive, 21 (81%) had viral RNA, whereas of the 70 who were ant
ibody negative, only one (1.4%) had viral RNA. These data suggest that
hepatitis C virus was transmitted by the intrafamilial route during l
ong duration of contact with patients or sexual transmission. In famil
y members, hepatitis C viral infection is the main cause of liver diso
rder, and many who were antibody-positive with a second-generation enz
yme-linked immunosorbent assay had viremia in the sera. (C) 1993 Wiley
-Liss, Inc.