The disappearance of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis C virus infections in the United States.

Because of anti-HCV testing, rates of transfusion-transmitted HCV infections have dropped from a high level (approximately 1 per 200 units, even using volunteer, repeat donors) to an extremely low one (approximately 1 per 125,000 units). Moreover, preliminary data indicate that pooled- (and perhaps, eventually, single-) specimen NAT for HCV-RNA or EIA for HCV core antigen may reduce this risk even further. It is anticipated that implementation of one or more of these methods, coupled with one or more pathogen-inactivation steps, may functionally eliminate the risk of transmitting HCV by transfusions.