Prevalence of anti-CMV antibodies in blood donors in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Abstract

The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of CMV antibodies among blood donors at a regional blood transfusion center in Ouagadougou. Blood collected from 115 donors was tested for specific anti-CMV antibodies as well as routine markers. The donors ranged in age from 18 to 53 years (mean: 28.78 ± 8.9 years), and 72.2% were men. In all, 4.3% were positive for HIV, 12.2% for HBs Ag, 2.6% for HCV, and 1.7% for syphilis. Nearly all donors (n=106, 92.2%) had CMV IgG antibodies, but only 12.2% (n=14) IgM antibodies, and all of the latter were also positive for IgG. CMV infection was not related to the donors' HIV status (p=0.66). The seroprevalence of CMV infection was not statistically related to gender, age or occupational status. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of any routine markers between donors positive and negative for CMV. The high rate of CMV antibodies indicates that CMV infection is widespread in Burkina Faso. Although it is thus unnecessary to test blood donors routinely for CMV, immunodepressed and other risk subjects should receive CMV-negative or leukocyte-depleted blood.