This study was carried out on 201 apparently healthy blood donors. Their sera were screened for the presence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV-Ab), and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Fifty HCV-Ab positive sera and eleven of HCV Ab negative sera were tested for the presence of HCV RNA by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR). HCV genotypes were determined for 20 HCV RNA positive sera. The presence of HCV-Ab antibodies was found in 56 (27.86%) blood donors. 25 (50%) samples of HCV Ab positive sera were found to contain HCV RNA. Of 11 antibody-negative samples, 2 (18.2%) were contained HCV RNA, so serological screening alone not diagnosed all cases. In conclusion, antibody screening combined with detection of HCV RNA by PCR should be considered as a "gold standard" for diagnosing HCV infection in blood banks. Genotyping analysis revealed that genotype 4 is the most prevalent genotype in Egypt. |
