Abstract
The prevalence of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human T lymphotropic virus I (HTLV-I), and hepatitis B (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) was determined in blood donors from Ntcheu, Malawi. Each donation was also screened for HIV-1 RNA and HCV RNA. Among 159 blood donations, the prevalence of HIV-1 infection was 10.7%, 8.1% for HBV carriage, 6.8% for anti-HCV, and 2.5% for anti-HTLV-I. HIV-1/HTLV-I and HIV-1/HCV dual infections were observed in 1.2% of the donations. Consequently, 13% of blood donors from Ntcheu should be deferred for retroviral infections and 15% for hepatitis viral infections. Sequence analyses of the HIV-1 strains revealed a relatively homogeneous circulation of subtype C viruses in Malawi. These findings confirm the high endemicity of blood-borne viruses in Malawi and the need for a sensitive viral screening of blood donations to improve blood safety.
Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Antibodies, Viral / blood*
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Blood Donors*
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HIV Antibodies / blood
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HIV Infections / epidemiology*
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HIV Seroprevalence
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HIV-1 / classification
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HIV-1 / genetics
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HIV-1 / immunology
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HIV-1 / isolation & purification
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HTLV-I Antibodies / blood
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HTLV-I Infections / epidemiology
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Hepacivirus / isolation & purification
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Hepatitis B / epidemiology*
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Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / analysis
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Hepatitis C / epidemiology*
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Hepatitis C Antibodies / blood
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Humans
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Malawi / epidemiology
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Phylogeny
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Prevalence
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RNA, Viral / blood*
Substances
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Antibodies, Viral
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HIV Antibodies
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HTLV-I Antibodies
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Hepatitis B Surface Antigens
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Hepatitis C Antibodies
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RNA, Viral
Associated data
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GENBANK/AF309421
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GENBANK/AF309422
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GENBANK/AF309423
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GENBANK/AF309424
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GENBANK/AF309425
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GENBANK/AF309426
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GENBANK/AF309427
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GENBANK/AF309428
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GENBANK/AF309429
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GENBANK/AF309430
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GENBANK/AF309431
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GENBANK/AF309432
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GENBANK/AF309433
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GENBANK/AF309434
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GENBANK/AF309435
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GENBANK/AF309436
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GENBANK/AF309437
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GENBANK/AF309438
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GENBANK/AF309439
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GENBANK/AF309440
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GENBANK/AF309441