Identification of Infection Routes for HCV in Blood Donors from Germany

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Abstract
Background: The objective of this study was to assess the relevant routes of infection for hepatitis C virus in blood donors from Baden-Württemberg (Germany). Participants and Methods: For this purpose an epidemiological questionnaire was elaborated and sent to 528 blood donors. One half of these donors had an anti-HCV-positive status confirmed by supplemental test (case group); the other half comprised blood donors who were seronegative for all infectious markers (control group). 72% of the enrolled donors (n = 380) sent back the answered questionnaire for evaluation. Results: From this investigation we could identify three major routes of HCV infection: a previous history of blood transfusion (p Conclusion: Additional approaches to the usual preprinted donor’s questionnaire are needed, particularly to inquire about drug abuse and tatooing, since the established procedure seems to be quite inefficient.

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