Hepatitis C Virus Antibodies Among Blood Donors in Jos, Nigeria

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the hepatitis agents known to be transmitted through blood and blood products. Hepatitis C virus has been implicated as a major cause of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. This study was, therefore, undertaken with the objective of determining the sero-prevalence of HCV antibodies among blood donors in the central city of Jos, Nigeria. Method: A total of two hundred blood donors were recruited from three hospitals within Jos metropolis. Sera from all subjects were tested for Hepatitis C virus antibodies using a second generation enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Ninety five percent (95%)of the blood donors were males and most of them were aged between 21 and 50years. Twelve (6.0%)of the blood donors were anti-HCV seropositive and all of them males. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to introduce routine screening of blood donors for Hepatitis C virus markers in centers where this is not currently been practiced. This will reduce the risk of transfusion-associated hepatitis C infection and its complications in Nigeria

Structural features of the Seneca Valley virus internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element: a picornavirus with a pestivirus-like IRES.

The RNA genome of Seneca Valley virus (SVV), a recently identified picornavirus, contains an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element which has structural and functional similarity to that from classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and hepatitis C virus, members of the Flaviviridae. The SVV IRES has an absolute requirement for the presence of a short region of virus-coding sequence to allow it to function either in cells or in rabbit reticulocyte lysate. The IRES activity does not require the translation initiation factor eIF4A or intact eIF4G. The predicted secondary structure indicates that the SVV IRES is more closely related to the CSFV IRES, including the presence of a bipartite IIId domain. Mutagenesis of the SVV IRES, coupled to functional assays, support the core elements of the IRES structure model, but surprisingly, deletion of the conserved IIId(2) domain had no effect on IRES activity, including 40S and eIF3 binding. This is the first example of a picornavirus IRES that is most closely related to the CSFV IRES and suggests the possibility of multiple, independent recombination events between the genomes of the Picornaviridae and Flaviviridae to give rise to similar IRES elements

HEPATITIS C VIRUS ANTIBODIES AMONG BLOOD DONORS IN JOS, NIGERIA

Abstract Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the hepatitis agents known to be transmitted through blood and blood products. Hepatitis C virus has been implicated as a major cause of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. This study was, therefore, undertaken with the objective of determining the sero-prevalence of HCV antibodies among blood donors in the central city of Jos, Nigeria. Method: A total of two hundred blood donors were recruited from three hospitals within Jos metropolis. Sera from all subjects were tested for Hepatitis C virus antibodies using a second generation enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Ninety five percent (95%)of the blood donors were males and most of them were aged between 21 and 50years. Twelve (6.0%)of the blood donors were anti-HCV seropositive and all of them males. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to introduce routine screening of blood donors for Hepatitis C virus markers in centers where this is not currently been practiced. This will reduce the risk of transfusion-associated hepatitis C infection and its complications in Nigeria

Structural Features of the Seneca Valley Virus Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES) Element: a Picornavirus with a Pestivirus-Like IRES▿

The RNA genome of Seneca Valley virus (SVV), a recently identified picornavirus, contains an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element which has structural and functional similarity to that from classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and hepatitis C virus, members of the Flaviviridae. The SVV IRES has an absolute requirement for the presence of a short region of virus-coding sequence to allow it to function either in cells or in rabbit reticulocyte lysate. The IRES activity does not require the translation initiation factor eIF4A or intact eIF4G. The predicted secondary structure indicates that the SVV IRES is more closely related to the CSFV IRES, including the presence of a bipartite IIId domain. Mutagenesis of the SVV IRES, coupled to functional assays, support the core elements of the IRES structure model, but surprisingly, deletion of the conserved IIId2 domain had no effect on IRES activity, including 40S and eIF3 binding. This is the first example of a picornavirus IRES that is most closely related to the CSFV IRES and suggests the possibility of multiple, independent recombination events between the genomes of the Picornaviridae and Flaviviridae to give rise to similar IRES elements