Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
1996-7-25
pubmed:abstractText
A high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been reported in hemodialysis patients. Main risk factors for transmission are previous blood transfusions and possibly nosocomial infections within the dialytic environment. In the present study 224 hemodialysis patients from the same department were tested for the presence of anti-HCV antibodies and HCV-RNA. The presence of anti-HCV in hemodialysis patients was correlated with a history of more than 10 blood transfusions (P = 0.001) and with a duration of hemodialysis treatment for more than 10 years (P = 0.001). The issue of possible patient-to-patient infection was addressed by sequence analysis of all HCV-RNA positive hemodialysis patients (N = 14) together with a control panel of HCV isolates from 56 unrelated non-hemodialysis patients with hepatitis C from the same geographical area. Subsequent phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences obtained from the 5'-noncoding region and the nonstructural NS-5 region of the HCV genome revealed that only two hemodialysis patients were infected by a highly related HCV isolate. The remaining HCV-RNA positive hemodialysis patients including those without previous blood transfusions were all infected by phylogenetically-distant HCV isolates, providing evidence against a nosocomial transmission route. The data of the present study show that molecular epidemiological techniques are important to investigate the issue of nosocomial infection. In our hemodialysis unit patient-to-patient infection appears uncommon and draws attention towards other possible (such as, blood products such as human serum albumin, immunoglobulins) or even yet unrecognized transmission routes.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
0085-2538
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
49
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
896-902
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Adult, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Aged, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Base Sequence, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Cross Infection, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Female, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Hemodialysis Units, Hospital, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Hepacivirus, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Hepatitis C, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Male, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Middle Aged, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Molecular Sequence Data, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Phylogeny, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Polymerase Chain Reaction, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-RNA, Viral, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Renal Dialysis, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Retrospective Studies, pubmed-meshheading:8648935-Risk Factors
pubmed:year
1996
pubmed:articleTitle
Phylogenetic analysis of hepatitis C virus isolates from hemodialysis patients.
pubmed:affiliation
Medical Department II, University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't