Hepatitis C Virus in Healthy Blood Donors in Sri Lanka
Author Information
Author(s): Dammika Amuduwage Senani, Weerasingam Shirani, Jayasinghe Saroj, Fernandopulle Neil
Primary Institution: University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Hypothesis
What is the prevalence and genotype distribution of Hepatitis C virus among blood donors in Sri Lanka?
Conclusion
HCV is relatively rare among blood donors in Sri Lanka and only genotype 3 was detected in the studied group.
Supporting Evidence
- Only 1.06% of blood donors tested positive for HCV antibodies.
- Of the 53 positive antibody tests, only 8 were confirmed by RT-PCR.
- All confirmed cases belonged to genotype 3, with 7 being subtype 3a and 1 subtype 3b.
Takeaway
This study looked at blood donors in Sri Lanka to see if they had Hepatitis C. They found that very few had it, and all had the same type.
Methodology
Blood samples from 4980 healthy donors were tested for HCV antibodies and RNA, with positive samples further genotyped.
Potential Biases
Potential for false-positive results in antibody testing.
Limitations
The study may not represent the general population as it only included blood donors.
Participant Demographics
Healthy blood donors from all districts in Sri Lanka.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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