Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Post-Transfusion Hepatitis: An Analysis with First- and Second-Generation Assays

ALTHOUGH non-A, non-B hepatitis was first recognized in 1974, 1 , 2 identification of the responsible etiologic agent or agents proved difficult. Prospective studies conducted in the United States during the 1970s demonstrated that hepatitis developed as a complication in 5 to 12 percent of the recipients of blood from volunteer donors, with approximately 90 percent of the cases diagnosed as non-A, non-B hepatitis. 3 4 5 6 It is believed that the incidence of non-A, non-B post-transfusion hepatitis has decreased since the implementation in 1986 of donor screening for surrogate markers — i.e., an elevated serum level of alanine aminotransferase activity or the presence of antibody . . .