Detection of Serum Antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus in ‘False-Seronegative’ Blood Donors in Oman
Objective: To detect hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies in seronegative donors by disruption of the immune complexes (ICs). Subjects and Methods: HCV antibody detection was carried out on 600 seronegative donors following an IC dissociation assay. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was then performed on the positive results. Results: Nine of the 600 samples (1.5%) were positive for IC-dissociated HCV antibodies. Of the 9 only 3 antibody-positive samples had detectable HCV RNA. Conclusion: Screening for antibodies to HCV in combination with PCR appears to be the safest way to reduce the residual risk of HCV in blood transfusion.