Abstract
Blood samples taken from children with non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH) (n=11, Group 1) and from children with malignant disease and a history of frequent blood transfusions (n=39, Group 2) were tested for the presence of antibodies to C100-3 and the RNA sequences of hepatitis C virus (HCV). The antibody was studied in all cases. The RNA was studied by means of the polymerase chain reaction in all cases of Group 1 and 23 cases of Group 2. Both antibody and RNA were detected in two out of the eleven children in Group 1, both of whom had received blood transfusions several months prior to the test. Neither antibody nor RNA was detected in the remaining cases in Group 1.
Antibody was positive in two out of the 39 Group 2 children, and RNA was positive in five out of 23. In Group 2, no cases were positive for both tests. An increase in blood GPT level was noted in all cases of Group 2 with positive results.
In conclusion, HCV infection is relatively rare in children of NANBH. There is a considerable discrepancy between the presence of antibody to C100-3 and the presence of RNA sequences.
