輸血後B型肝炎の防止におけるHBc抗体検査導入の意義

抄録

Since November 1989, the blood centers in Japan have introduced anti-HBc assay of the blood unit for transfusion in addition to HBs-Ag assay so far carried out, in attempting at the further reduction of the incidence of post-transfusion hepatitis B which still occurred sporadically in recent years.
In Saitama Cancer Center where the authors were working, there developed five cases of post-transfusion hepatitis B during 2 and a half years preceeding the introduction of anti-HBc assay. The blood units from the recipients all contained high-titered anti-HBc (≥2¹⁰) in these cases. And in two of them, the authors could successfully demonstrated that hepatitis B transmitted by the blood units from the recipients by means of assay and comparison of HBV DNA sequence between the patient and the recipient.
For 3 years since the introduction of anti-HBc assay, not a single case of post-transfusion hepatitis B has developed in Saitama Cancer Center. From these results the authors discuss that the introduction of anti-HBc assay of the blood unit for transfusion was very significant.