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A Preliminary Study in Volunteer Blood Donors

Cladd E. Stevens, MD; Patricia E. Taylor, PhD; Johanna Pindyck, MD; Qui-Lim Choo, PhD; Daniel W. Bradley, PhD; George Kuo, PhD; Michael Houghton, PhD

JAMA. 1990;263(1):49-53.

Abstract
In a survey carried out from 1985 through 1986, volunteer blood donors to The Greater New York Blood Program were tested for two surrogate markers for nonA, non-B hepatitis—elevation of alanine aminotransferase level and presence of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen. Stored serum samples from selected donors were also recently tested for antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). Anti-HCV was detected in 0.9% to 1.4% of donors and was higher in black and Hispanic donors than in white donors. Anti-HCV prevalence increased with increasing age through the fourth decade of life, but decreased thereafter, possibly reflecting the disappearance of detectable antibody with time. Anti-HCV correlated with both alanine aminotransferase level and the presence or absence of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen. These associations suggest that donor screening for elevation of alanine aminotransferase level and presence of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen was, as expected, at least partially effective in preventing transfusion-associated non-A, non-B hepatitis. The detection of anti-HCV in donors who have neither an elevation of alanine aminotransferase level nor presence of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen suggests that donor screening for anti-HCV will further reduce the risk of transfusion-associated hepatitis.

(JAMA. 1990;263:49-53)

Author Affiliations
From the Wolf Szmuness Laboratory of Epidemiology, The New York (NY) Blood Center (Drs Stevens and Taylor); the Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY (Dr Pindyck); the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga (Dr Bradley); and the Chiron Corp, Emeryville, Calif (Drs Choo, Kuo, and Houghton).

Footnotes
Reprint requests to The New York Blood Center, 310 E 67th St, New York, NY 10021 (Dr Stevens).

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