SCREENING AND CONFIRMATION OF ANTI-HCV AN TIBODIES IN TUNISIAN BLOOD-DONORS

Antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) were tested in 43 000 Tunisian b lood donors by using enzyme immuno-assay. Our results show that 0.7% ( 304/43 000) were anti-HCV positive. Of these 304.78 were confirmed ant i-HCV positive (0.18%) by immuno-blot, and 99 displayed an indetermina te profile. Different immune responses were observed: -In donors with positive serologic pattern (78/304) 25.6%, response towards whole anti gens (C + NS3 + NS4 + NS5) was frequently observed (44/78) 56.4%. Reac tivity to 2 antigens was observed in 28.2% (22/78) and with 3 antigens in only 15.4% (12/78), with systematic reactivity to core. -In donors with indeterminate serologic pattern (99/304) 32.5%, reactivity to no n-structural antigen NS5 was the most frequently observed (54/99) 54.5 %, reactivity to non-structural NS3 antigen was noted in 27.3% (27/99) and to fore antigen in 18.2% (18/99). No donors with isolated reactiv ity to NS4 were observed in our series.