Occult hepatitis B infection in blood donors at Zagazig university hospitals, Sharkia governorate

ABSTRACT

Although, the incidence of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus [HBV] has been reduced over last four decades, HBV remains the most frequent transfusion-transmitted infection .The aim of this study is to determine the percentage of anti-HBc positivity in HBsAg negative blood donors' samples and to estimate the frequency of HBV-DNA in HBsAg negative/anti-HBc positive and in some HBsAg/anti-HBc negative samples and to assess the presence of this OHBI in HBsAg negative HCV positive samples. Randomly selected 500 blood donors referred to Blood Bank, Zagazig University Hospitals at Sharkia Governorate were included, after routine blood bank serological tests, ALT and AST, total anti-HBc were done for blood samples that were negative for HBsAg. Samples were divided into two main categories according to their HCV Ab status [450 were negative for HBsAg, HCV Ab, HIV Ag/Ab and RPR and 50 were negative for HBsAg, HIV Ag/Ab and RPR but HCV positive], anti-HBs quantification, HBV-DNA by real-time PCR was performed for all samples anti-HBc positive and some randomly selected anti-HBc negative samples. The percentage of total anti-HBc among HBsAg negative blood donors, [HCV Ab negative] was 20.8% [94/450] and in [HCV Ab positive] was 26% [13/50]. The frequency of HBV-DNA in [HBsAg/HCV Ab negative] was 6/94 [6.4%] of anti-HBc positive blood donors and not detected in the randomly selected anti-HBc negative donors [0/16]. The percentage of HBV-DNA was higher in HCV Ab positive [13.3%] than HCV Ab negative donors [5.5%]. Most Occult Hepatitis B Infection [OHBIs] are asymptomatic, only be detected by systematic screening of large populations, detection of OHBI requires addition of anti-HBc tests along with HBsAg ending with NAT to donated blood screening tests for improving blood safety