A cross sectional study on seroprevalence of transfusion-transmitted infections among blood donors at tertiary care hospital

Background: Transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs) are the major problem associated with blood transfusions, and accurate projections of TTI risk are essential for tracking the safety of the blood supply. This research recognized the seroprevalence trends and shifting patterns of TTIs, in a multispecialty hospital. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of TTI infections among blood donors and to compare the changing seroprevalence trends in blood donors. Materials and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from January 2017 to December 2022 at KIMS Blood Centre, Secunderabad, India. All donors reporting to the blood centre during the period were screened for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 1 & 2, hepatitis C viruses, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), total hepatitis B core antibody (aHBC) and hepatitis B surface antibody (aHBs), malaria and syphilis. Screening of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses were done by chemilumiencies, while syphilis and malaria were screened by RPR method. Results: A total of 69741 voluntary blood donors were screened, of which 68857 were males and 1083 were females. Seropositivity of HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C viruses, malaria, syphilis were 0.36 %, 0.59%, 0.48%,0.01% and 0.07% respectively. Addition tests were aHBC and aHBs which showed among all the potential donors, the most common TTI prevalence at our centre was hepatitis B followed by HCV, HIV, syphilis and malaria. Conclusion: Public awareness, careful donor selection, vigilance, and adoption of newer techniques for early detection are needed to reduce the incidence of TTIs. Keywords: human immunodeficiency virus; HIV; hepatitis B; hepatitis C; seroprevalence; transfusion transmitted infections