Prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in the personnel of the Antoine-Beclere Hospital.

Objectives. - The aim of this prospective study was to estimate the prevalence of subjects with serum anti-HCV antibodies in a University Hospital in the Paris area, and to identify the risk factors associated with contamination. Methods. - Over an Is month period, each person working in the hospital was systematically requested to fill out an anonymous questionnaire including 23 questions and to undergo a blood test for art anti-NCV assay during their annual medical visit. Results. - 557 (33%) of 1 693 employees accepted to fill out the questionnaire and the anti-HCV assay. Serum anti-NCV antibodies were present in 9 subjects, which represents a prevalence of 1.6%, and serum RNA was positive by PCR in 7. The prevalence was significantly higher in subjects working in clinical units (3.0%) compared to subjects working in non-clinical units (0.7%; P = 0.04) and in subjects with a history of acute hepatitis (5.5% vs 0.9%; P = 0.002). Anti-HCV-positive subjects had more history of manipulating blood products than HCV-negative subjects (17.0 vs 8.8 years of exposure; P = 0.01), other human samples (17.0 vs 7.6 years; P = 0.01), and of having at risk contacts (16.7 vs 6.2 years; P = 0.0004). Conclusion. - These results suggest the importance of systematic anti-HCV screening among health care workers, particularly those in contact with patients.