Prevalence of Window Period-associated Transmission of HBV, HCV, and HIV in Blood Donors

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Blood donors undergo screening for infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) utilizing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methodology. This study aims to assess seronegative plasma from blood donors using nucleic acid testing (NAT) approach.
Material and Methods: A total 567 blood donor plasma samples were initially screened using ELISA, followed by NAT conducted on pools comprising five blood plasma samples each. Subsequently, 100 minipools of donor plasma were subjected to NAT.
Results: Positive results were observed in 2.91% of HBV minipools, 2.95% of HCV minipools, and 2.96% of HIV minipools by NAT.
Conclusion: Prevalence of window period-associated transmission of HBV, HCV, and HIV in blood donors was found to be around 3%. Our study underscores the utility of NAT in identifying occult HBV and reducing the window period for HCV and HIV in seronegative
plasma from blood donors.