Screening of hepatitis c virus antibody among claimed and unclaimed dead bodies during medico-legal autopsy

HCV is spread by contact with blood or body fluids of an infected person. Most of the unclaimed dead bodies brought for medico-legal autopsies at Department of Forensic Medicine, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi are beggars and destitute, who indulge in drug addiction and unsafe sex, and thus are more prone to HCV infection than the general population. The HCV can survive outside the body for at least two weeks. During this time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the body of a person.

To evaluate whether unclaimed dead bodies pose more risk of transmitting HCV infection than claimed dead bodies.

The present study was conducted on 100 claimed and 100 unclaimed dead bodies brought for medico-legal autopsies, using anti HCV Ab at Department of Microbiology, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi.

Of the total 200 cases, 4(2%) cases were found positive for HCV antibody and hence were HCV infected. In case of claimed dead bodies, none of the cases were found positive for HCV antibody whereas in unclaimed dead bodies, 4% cases were positive. Thus, the chance of HCV infection is more among the unclaimed bodies than the claimed bodies brought for medico-legal autopsies at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi.

Unclaimed dead bodies brought for medico-legal autopsy should be screened for HCV antibody prior to autopsy so that all the precautions can be taken to avoid contracting HCV infection.