Seroprevalence and Trend of Transfusion Transmitted Infections among blood donors in the eastern part of Bangalore city: A 3 year study

Abstract

Introduction: For nearly eight decades, the transfusion of blood has been an integral part of medical practice. Though it is a life saving measure, every transfusion still bears the potential risk of Transfusion Transmitted Infections. Aim: To assess the proportion of voluntary and replacement blood donors and to evaluate the prevalence and trend of various TTIs in a well-established blood bank located in the Eastern part of Bangalore. Materials and Methods: The data for the current retrospective study was collected over a period of 3 years and 3 months from October 2015 to December 2018. Donors were screened for anti-HIV 1 and 2, HBsAg, and anti-HCV, using commercially available third-generation ELISA test kits, while syphilis and malaria were screened for using card test and rapid malaria test, respectively. Results: Among 2514 donors, 2411 (95.9%) were voluntary and 103 (4.1%) were replacement donors. 2431(96.7%) were males and 83 (3.3%) were females. Seroprevalence of HIV, HBsAg, anti- HCV, syphilis, and malaria were 0.24%, 0.83%, 0.27%, 0.04%, and 0.12% among all donors, respectively. Among the various TTIs, majority of cases were of HBV (55.3%) followed by HCV (18.4%), HIV (15.8%), Malaria (7.9%) and Syphilis (2.6%). Conclusion: HBV was the commonest TTI among apparently healthy donors in the present study, followed by HCV and HIV; 1.5% of healthy donors were seropositive for TTIs. This clearly shows the importance of stringent screening measures to avert the potential risk of TTIs. Keywords: Blood donor, Transfusion transmitted infections, Seroprevalence.