Evaluation the Status of Confirmatory Test in Hepatitis C Antibody Screening Algorithm in Blood Donors.

BACKGROUND: Countries use national policies to screen and diagnose people infected with the hepatitis C virus to prevent transmission and eliminate the disease. In May 2016, the World Health Organization set a target of 90% diagnosis and elimination of the disease by 2030. The aim of this study was to evaluate the screening and diagnostic algorithm of hepatitis C by serological methods. METHODS: The blood samples of people referring to blood transfusion centers in Kerman province in southeastern Iran from January 2014 to January 2020 were examined with the defined algorithm for the presence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus by ELISA and confirmation test (RIBA). RESULTS: Based on the algorithm used, little/no correlations were found between the effect of age on OD in ELISA and RIBA test results, respectively (r = 0.07, p = 0.03) and (r = 0.19, p = 0.001). The correlation between the amount of OD in the ELISA test and the results of RIBA test was (r = 0.24, p = 0.01) and no significant correlation was observed between OD in ELISA and the indeterminate immunoblot test results (r = -0.04 and p = 0.2). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show, in low-risk populations, all samples that have reactive ELISA results should be confirmed without considering the amount of ELISA OD and the signal-to-cut-off (S/Co) ratios. The existing algorithm should be modified as soon as possible and newer technologies should be used to perform the test.

Seroepidemiological Study of Hepatitis B, C and HIV among Blood Donors in Kerman

Background: Infections transmitted through blood transfusions are the most important issue associated with blood donation. We aimed to provide an assessment of the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among blood donors in Kerman province of Iran. Methods: Between 2014-2016, 99,187 samples were examined in a retrospective study in five blood transfusion centers in Kerman province. Serologic screening for HBsAg, anti-HCV and anti-HIV1/2 was conducted for all samples and positive cases were confirmed. Result: The positives with the initial serological screening tests for HBsAg , anti-HCV and HIV 1/2 numbered 524, 409 and 285, respectively, and based on confirmation tests, final results were 196 , 72 and 1. The highest prevalences of HBV and HCV were reported as 0.36% in Jiroft city and 0.1% in Rafsanjan city. Co- infection with HBV and HCV was observed in the city of Sirjan. Conclusion: Blood-borne viral infections in people with low education levels were more common. The prevalence in Kerman province was low as compared to previous studies carried out in other regions of Iran. Application of standard operating procedures, with updated equipment, as well as planning for the use of molecular methods are necessary for the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization, to monitor blood-transmitted infections.