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Detection of hepatitis C virus antibodies in oral fluid specimens for prevalence studies

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Abstract

Within the framework of hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence monitoring, we evaluated oral fluid (OF), which is richer in IgG than whole saliva, as a possible alternative to serum for the detection of HCV antibodies. Paired OF and serum samples were collected from 90 individuals, including 45 HCV-positives and 45 HCV-negatives. The detection of HCV antibodies in both serum and OF was performed using the Ortho HCV 3.0 SAVe enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc., Raritan, NJ), but a modified, more sensitive protocol was used to process OF. The sensitivity and specificity of this assay were 86.67% (95% confidence interval (CI): 72.51–94.46%) and 100% (95% CI: 90.20–99.80%) in OF and 100% in serum. The correlation obtained between both types of clinical specimens was excellent (k: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.66–1.07). However, the negative predictive value (NPV) of the assay in OF decreased with the prevalence of HCV infection in the population studied. Our results suggest that the modified Ortho HCV 3.0 SAVe ELISA is suitable for the detection of HCV antibodies in OF for epidemiological studies. Using this assay, we observed an unadjusted anti-HCV prevalence of 78.6% among a population of intravenous drug users; when adjusted to account for assay sensitivity, this prevalence may be closer to 90%.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Tamara McDonald, who provided the controls and protocol for the HCV assay in oral fluid. We also acknowledge to Departament de Salut de la Generalitat de Catalunya, and Red Temática de Adicciones del FIS (Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo, RD: 06/001/0021, PI 05/1550), Red de Investigación en SIDA (RIS G173), Fundacío La Marató de TV3 (02/1330), CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbiology Service, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona, Spain

    V. González, E. Martró, L. Matas & V. Ausina

  2. Centre d’estudis epidemiològics sobre les ITS i la SIDA de Catalunya (CEEISCAT), Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain

    V. González, C. Folch, A. Esteve, A. Montoliu & J. Casabona

  3. CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain

    V. González, E. Martró, C. Folch, A. Esteve, L. Matas, A. Montoliu & J. Casabona

  4. Unitat de Banc de Sang, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain

    J. R. Grífols

  5. Unitat de Drodependències, Servei de Medicina Interna, Ciutat Sanitària i Universitària de Bellvitge, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain

    F. Bolao

  6. HIV/AIDS Unit and Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona, Spain

    C. Tural & R. Muga

  7. Virus Reference Department, Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, London, UK

    J. V. Parry

  8. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Badalona, Catalonia, Spain

    J. Casabona

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  1. V. González
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  2. E. Martró
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  3. C. Folch
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  4. A. Esteve
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  5. L. Matas
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  6. A. Montoliu
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  7. J. R. Grífols
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  8. F. Bolao
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  9. C. Tural
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  10. R. Muga
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  11. J. V. Parry
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  12. V. Ausina
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  13. J. Casabona
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Casabona.

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González, V., Martró, E., Folch, C. et al. Detection of hepatitis C virus antibodies in oral fluid specimens for prevalence studies. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 27, 121–126 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-007-0408-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-007-0408-z

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