Annemarie Berger1, Sabine Salla2, Oliver T. Keppler1, Holger F. Rabenau1
1Institute of Medical Virology, Hospital of the Goethe University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt/M., Germany
2Department of Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Tóm tắt
<b>Background: </b>The HCV RNA testing of potential cornea donors frequently relies on blood samples stored pre mortem. The recommended storage time of maximum 72 h frequently excludes a significant fraction of donors. <b>Methods: </b>The influence of storage time of EDTA plasma samples at 4 °C on the viral load measured with the Roche HCV Quantitative Test vs. 2.0 was evaluated for 43 samples from HCV-positive individuals. <b>Results:</b> The mean reduction of the viral load after 4 °C storage for 6-8 days was 0.46 log<sub>10</sub> IU/ml (range +0.17 to -1.66 log<sub>10</sub> IU/ml). After 1-3 days a mean loss of 0.19 log<sub>10</sub> IU/ml (range +0.30 to -1.41 log<sub>10</sub> IU/ml) and after 3-5 days of 0.32 log<sub>10</sub> IU/ml (range +0.36 to -1.81 log<sub>10</sub> IU/ml) was observed. In 23.3% of samples, a viral load reduction ≥ 1 log<sub>10</sub> IU/ml (1.0-1.81 log<sub>10</sub> IU/ml) was found after prolonged storage (5-8 days). In none of the samples did the HCV load fall below the detection limit. <b>Conclusion:</b> Plasma storage for up to 8 days can quantitatively reduce the HCV RNA load, yet has no influence on the reliability of a qualitative HCV RNA detection by this ultrasensitive test to determine the HCV status of serologically negative cornea donors.
