[An epidemiological study on hepatitis C among the plasmapheretic donors in two villages with a 5-year history of plasma donation].

An epidemiological study on hepatitis C virus infection in the populations of two villages with 5-year history of plasma donation was conducted. The prevalence rates of viral hepatitis and elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level in the plasmapheretic donors of these two villages were 11.3% and 33.0%, respectively. The figures were significantly higher than those in the blood donors of these two villages, (1.5% and 10.8%, respectively), and those in the adults without blood donation living in a neighbouring village (0 and 5.0%, respectively). Of 19 patients with viral hepatitis among the plasmapheretic donors tested for anti-HCV by Chiron C-100 enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA), 17 were positive, with positive rate of 89.5%. Of 38 patients with elevated ALT levels alone, 36 were anti-HCV positive, with the positive rate of 94.7%. Anti-HAV IgM, anti-HBc IgM, anti-CMV IgM and anti-EBV IgM were not detected in any of these 55 patients. The results demonstrated that an epidemic of hepatitis C occurred among the plasmapheretic donors in these two villages with 5-year history of plasma donation.