The Actual Amount of Active Hepatitis C in Asymptomatic Volunteer Blood Ddonors in the City of Ardabil

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a, enveloped,, single-stranded RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae, is transmitted primarily through contact with infected blood. Afterprimary infection, approximately 80% of patients will have chronic disease. The study was conducted to determine active hepatitis C infection rate among Ardabil city blood donors. In this cross sectional study from all of donated blood samples during three years, cases that were positive in both: ELISA screening test and confirmatory specific RIBA test were studied. RT-PCR was used to confirm active infection. All of the55262 blood samples from 2009 to 2012 were evaluated. In 60, blood donors screening HCV ELISA test were positive (0.01%). Confirmatory, specific RIBA test in 19 of them (31%) were positive. ELISA was falsely positive in about 70% of cases. Among 19 patients with positive RIBA test, polymerase chain reaction performed and in 12 of them (63%) active infection were documented. Probability of a positive PCR test in asymptomatic volunteer blood donors with positive ELISA test was 20%. Only 63% of persons with true positive antibodies against hepatitis C (positive RIBA test) had positive RT-PCR test, so approximately 37% of infected patients have resolved spontaneously. Before disease labeling, it is necessary to confirm infection with performing specific RT-PCR test because ELISA test is falsely positive in some cases and positive RIBA test may be related to past spontaneously reso lved infection.