Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected pregnant women in Malawi: the BAN study
Chasela, C.S.; Wall, P.; Drobeniuc, J.; King, C.C.; Teshale, E.; Hosseinipour, M.C.; Ellington, S.R.; Codd, M.; Jamieson, D.J.; Knight, R.J.; Fitzpatrick, P.; Kourtis, A.P.; Hoffman, I.F.; Kayira, D.; Mumba, N.; Kamwendo, D.D.; Martinson, F.; Powderly, W.; van der Horst, C.; Kamili, S.; Adair, L.; Ahmed, Y.; Ait-Khaled, M.; Albrecht, S.; Bangdiwala, S.; Bayer, R.; Bentley, M.; Bramson, B.; Bobrow, E.; Boyle, N.; Butera, S.; Chasela, C.; Chavula, C.; Chimerang'ambe, J.; Chigwenembe, M.; Chik
Journal of Clinical Virology the Official Publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology 54(4): 318-320
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 1873-5967 PMID: 22658797 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2012.05.003Document Number: 573956
In Sub-Saharan Africa, prevalence estimates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) vary widely. To assess the prevalence of HCV infection among HIV-infected, pregnant women screened for a large clinical trial in Lilongwe, Malawi. Plasma from 2041 HIV-infected, pregnant women was screened for anti-HCV IgG using a chemiluminiscent immunometric assay (CIA). Specimens with a signal-cut-off ratio≥1.00 were considered reactive and those with S/Co ratio<1.00 non-reactive. All CIA-reactive specimens were tested by a recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) for anti-HCV and by PCR for HCV RNA. Of 2041 specimens, 110 (5.3%, 95% CI: 4.5-6.5%) were CIA reactive. Of the 109 CIA reactive specimens available for RIBA testing, 2 (1.8%) were positive, 28 (25.7%) were indeterminate, and 79 (72.5%) were negative. All CIA-reactive specimens were HCV RNA negative (n=110). The estimated HCV prevalence based on the screening assay alone was 5.3%; based on supplemental RIBA testing, the status of HCV infection remained indeterminate in 1.4% (28/2040, 95% CI: 0.1-2.0) and the prevalence of confirmed HCV infections was 0.1% (2/2040, 95% CI: 0-0.4%). HCV seroprevalence among HIV-infected, pregnant women in Malawi confirmed by supplemental RIBA HCV 3.0 is low (0.1%); CIA showed a high false-reactivity rate in this population.
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