Prevalence and risk factors of occult Hepatitis C infections in blood donors from Mexico City

The circulatory system is the main mechanism for transmission of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). A new class of HCV infections, Occult HCV infection (OCI), is defined as the presence of HCV-RNA in hepatocytes with the absence of HCV in the serum/plasma utilizing current laboratory assays. Different groups have reported the prevalence of OCI; however, its associated risk factors have not been established. In Mexico, there are no reports about OCI, so the objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of OCI in total blood donors in Mexico City, as well as its associated risk factors.循环系统是丙型肝炎病毒（Hepatitis C Virus，简称HCV）的主要传播途径。一类新型丙型肝炎病毒感染——隐匿性丙型肝炎病毒感染（Occult HCV infection，简称OCI）被定义为：采用现有实验室检测方法，可在肝细胞中检出丙型肝炎病毒核糖核酸（HCV-RNA），但血清或血浆中无法检测到HCV。已有多个研究团队报道过OCI的流行率，但目前尚未明确其相关危险因素。在墨西哥，目前尚无关于OCI的相关研究报道，因此本研究旨在明确墨西哥城全体无偿献血者中OCI的流行率及其相关危险因素。