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Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected pregnant women in Malawi: The BAN study
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected pregnant women in Malawi: The BAN study

Charles S. Chasela, Patrick Wall, Jan Drobeniuc, Caroline C. King, Eyasu Teshale, Mina C. Hosseinipour, Sascha R. Ellington, Mary Codd, Denise J. Jamieson, Rodney J. Knight, …
Journal of clinical virology, Vol.54(4), pp.318-320
08/01/2012
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2012.05.003
PMCID: PMC3652577
PMID: 22658797
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/3652577View
Open Access

Abstract

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.
Malawi HCV HIV Pregnant women

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