MAGNITUDE OF HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-INFECTION IN INDIA - PREVALENCE IN HEALTHY BLOOD-DONORS, ACUTE AND CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASES

An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was developed in-house for the detection o f anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody against the prevailing genotyp es in India. The specific reactivity of the test was compared with com mercial second and third-generation EIAs and reverse transcription nes ted polymerase chain reaction (RT-nested PCR). Fifteen thousand nine h undred twenty-two healthy blood donors at the All India Institute of M edical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India, were screened for anti-HCV antibody. Two hundred ninety-five (1.85%) of these donors were positiv e. The screening was also used to determine how many patients with acu te hepatitis and chronic liver diseases were positive for anti-HCV ant ibody. Five hundred sixty-four chronic liver disease patients were scr eened for anti-HCV antibody and 78 (13.83%) were found positive. Two h undred forty-seven sporadic acute viral hepatitis patients were screen ed for viral infection markers. Hepatitis B and E viruses (HBV and HEV ) were the major etiologic agents. HCV was associated with 9% of the a cute cases. Anti-HCV core IgM with HCV RNA detection were found to be helpful for the diagnosis of acute HCV infection. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.