Is rapid hepatitis C virus testing from corpses a screening option for index persons who have died after mass-casualty incidents in high-prevalence settings in the field?
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Is rapid hepatitis C virus testing from corpses a screening option for index persons who have died after mass-casualty incidents in high-prevalence settings in the field? / Hagen, Ralf M; Wulff, B; Loderstaedt, U; Fengler, I; Frickmann, H; Schwarz, N G; Polywka, S.
In: J ROY ARMY MED CORPS, Vol. 160, No. 3, 01.09.2014, p. 226-31.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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T1 - Is rapid hepatitis C virus testing from corpses a screening option for index persons who have died after mass-casualty incidents in high-prevalence settings in the field?
AU - Hagen, Ralf M
AU - Wulff, B
AU - Loderstaedt, U
AU - Fengler, I
AU - Frickmann, H
AU - Schwarz, N G
AU - Polywka, S
N1 - Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
PY - 2014/9/1
Y1 - 2014/9/1
N2 - INTRODUCTION: We tested a commercially available rapid hepatitis C virus (HCV) test assay for its potential use for analyses of corpses as a screening option for index persons who have died after mass-casualty incidents in high-prevalence settings in the field.MATERIALS AND METHODS: 50 blood samples were drawn from 16 recently deceased confirmed HCV-positive patients whose corpses were stored at 4°C in the mortuary and were analysed at admission and up to 48 h post mortem by rapid serological testing using the ImmunoFlow HCV test (Core Diagnostics, Birmingham, UK) in comparison with automated serological assays and PCR. Samples from 50 HCV-negative corpses were also analysed.RESULTS: The blood of only four of the 16 HCV-positive corpses reacted clearly with the ImmunoFlow HCV test, while in five cases the result was only weakly reactive and three cases showed very weak reactivity. Four of the infected corpses showed initially negative results, three of which became very weakly reactive 48 h post mortem. 49 out of 50 samples (98%) from HCV-negative corpses tested negative.DISCUSSION: The rapid test system we investigated showed insufficient sensitivity regarding the identification of HCV positivity. Automated serological testing or PCR should be preferred if it is realistically available in the deployed military setting.
AB - INTRODUCTION: We tested a commercially available rapid hepatitis C virus (HCV) test assay for its potential use for analyses of corpses as a screening option for index persons who have died after mass-casualty incidents in high-prevalence settings in the field.MATERIALS AND METHODS: 50 blood samples were drawn from 16 recently deceased confirmed HCV-positive patients whose corpses were stored at 4°C in the mortuary and were analysed at admission and up to 48 h post mortem by rapid serological testing using the ImmunoFlow HCV test (Core Diagnostics, Birmingham, UK) in comparison with automated serological assays and PCR. Samples from 50 HCV-negative corpses were also analysed.RESULTS: The blood of only four of the 16 HCV-positive corpses reacted clearly with the ImmunoFlow HCV test, while in five cases the result was only weakly reactive and three cases showed very weak reactivity. Four of the infected corpses showed initially negative results, three of which became very weakly reactive 48 h post mortem. 49 out of 50 samples (98%) from HCV-negative corpses tested negative.DISCUSSION: The rapid test system we investigated showed insufficient sensitivity regarding the identification of HCV positivity. Automated serological testing or PCR should be preferred if it is realistically available in the deployed military setting.
KW - Autopsy
KW - Cadaver
KW - Hepatitis C
KW - Hepatitis C Antibodies
KW - Humans
KW - Mass Casualty Incidents
KW - Mass Screening
KW - Military Medicine
KW - Predictive Value of Tests
KW - Prevalence
KW - Reproducibility of Results
KW - Serologic Tests
KW - Time Factors
U2 - 10.1136/jramc-2013-000133
DO - 10.1136/jramc-2013-000133
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 24113204
VL - 160
SP - 226
EP - 231
JO - J ROY ARMY MED CORPS
JF - J ROY ARMY MED CORPS
SN - 0035-8665
IS - 3
ER -