Retrospective investigation of transfusion-related non-A, non-B viral hepatitis associated with M2 antigen.

A retrospective study of transfusion-related non-A, non-B viral hepatitis was conducted in seven patients. Findings showed that six recipients had been exposed to at least one unit of blood possessing a putative serological marker for non-A, non-B hepatitis, the M2 antigen or anti-M2IgM. The M2 markers were associated with non-A, non-B hepatitis that developed 3-7 weeks after transfusion. It sees increasingly probable that M2 markers may be useful for diagnosis and/or prevention of post-transfusion hepatitis.