The exact significance of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in blood donors remains unknown. Confirmatory tests of anti-HCV-reactive serum and HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are used to refute a large proportion of false-positive results.
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre International de Recherche sur le Cancer, and Centre Regional de Transfusion Sanguine, Lyon, France.