Association of Serum Neopterin Level with HCV Infection among Egyptian Blood Donors

Abstract

The determination of neopterin is a new method for monitoring diseases which are linked with the activation of the immunity. This study was done to verify serum neopterin concentrations as a marker of virological infection with hepatitis C virus (genotype 4) in Egyptian blood donors. A total of 88 blood samples were collected from VACSERA blood bank by venipuncture and serum was obtained by centrifugation. Serum antibodies against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1&2), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV Ab and PCR), and Hepatitis B Virus surface antigen (HBsAg) were determined in all samples by routine ELISA method. Serum neopterin was measured by a commercially neopterin enzyme Immunoassay kit. The diagnostic accuracy of marker was assessed using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, describing the area under the curve (AUC) and its 95% confidence interval (CI). The samples were classified into two groups: Group I: 44 blood sample with HCV negative. Group II: 44 normal blood sample positive to HCV. Results showed that 9.09% HCV positive donors while 15.90% control group donors had increased neopterin level. Mean serum neopterin levels were elevated in healthy group (6.419 nmol/l) comparable to the HCV positive group (5.78 nmol/l) (P ? 0.05). When HCV patients were compared to healthy group, AUC for neopterin and HCV Ab were 0.526. Based on the ROC analysis, there were no adequate cut-off values for neopterin that would be best for differentiation of HCV from the non HCV patients. It is concluded that Neopterin assay isn’t a good diagnostic marker for HCV in blood donors.