HIV-1 NAT minipool during the pre-seroconversion window period: detection of a repeat blood donor.

Background: The introduction of nucleic acid amplification technology (NAT) for screening pooled or individual donations remarkably improved the safety of blood products. The size of mini-pooled NAT is considered critical for identification of HIV-1 infected donors during preseroconversion phase of infection. We describe a case of HIV-1 infection in a serologically negative repeat blood donor identified by 16 minipool (MP) NAT.

Immune response to an epitope of the NS4 protein of hepatitis C virus in HCV-related disorders.

NS4, a nonstructural protein of HCV, is a frequent target of antibodies in infected subjects. According to recent data, the antibodies frequently recognize the sequence 1921-40 of the NS4 protein. The aim of this work was to analyze antibody reactivity with the sequence 1921-40 in different HCV-related disorders.