FOLLOW-UP-STUDY OF ANTI-HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-ANTIBODIES IN BLOOD-DONORS IMPLICATED IN POSTTRANSFUSION NON-A, NON-B-HEPATITIS

We retrospectively examined the antibodies to p22, a hepatitis C virus (HCV) nucleocapsid protein, and to c100-3, a HCV nonstructural protei n, in donors whose blood was transfused to patients who later develope d post-transfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis. Of 13 such blood donors, th ree seroconverted and three seroreverted with the anti-c100-3 test. In contrast, 12 of the 13 blood donors showed the same results at transf usion and follow-up, and one donor showed seroconversion with the anti -p22 assay. The follow-up study shows that the anti-p22 antibody test provides consistent results and is far more suitable for screening blo od than the anti-c100-3 test.