Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, syphilis, and malaria among blood donors at tertiary care hospital blood bank.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the frequency of markers of transfusion-transmitted infections among blood donors in a tertiary care setting. METHODS: The retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study, was conducted in the Blood Bank section of the Department of Pathology at the Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, and comprised data of blood donors from January 2013, to October 2018. All blood donors had been screened for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus I and II, syphilis through electrochemiluminescence and malaria using immunochromatography. Data was analyzed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 29,732 donors, 29,712(99.93%) were males and 20(0.06%) were females; 12(0.04%) were volunteers and 29,720(99.95%) were exchange donors. Overall, 2587(8.7%) donors were positive for an infectious disease; 908(3%) hepatitis C virus, 887(2.9%) hepatitis B, 620(2%) syphilis, 168(0.5%) human immunodeficiency virus and 4(0.02%) malaria. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis C and B were the most frequent infections, followed by syphilis in the sample.

Disseminated Fungal Infection On Bone Marrow Trephine In An Asplenic Patient.

hyposplenism increases the risk of life-threatening infection with encapsulated bacteria. however, literature review revealed that hyposplenism is also a risk factor for disseminated fungal infection. here, we report a case of individual who presented with pyrexia of unknown origin and had splenectomy for hemolytic anemia and later he found to have disseminated fungal infection on bone marrow examination. this case emphasized the likelihood of disseminated fungal infection in an asplenic patient and also importance of bone marrow trephine in prompt diagnosis and management of patient.

Frequency Of TP53 Gene Mutation In Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia.

BACKGROUND: Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), an indolent but malignant lymphoproliferative disorder, is characterized by unregulated and uninhibited growth of mature monoclonal lymphocytes, with deletion of 17p containing TP53 gene being the most important prognostic factor. TP53 mutations, reported in 10% of CLL cases, seem to have a direct correlation to a more advanced stage and aggressive transformation of CLL. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study limited to a period from 1st June 2013 to 30th June 2016, conducted at Section of haematology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. One thirty-nine cases of CLL received for TP53 mutation analysis at the Aga Khan University hospital clinical Laboratory were included in the study. Five ml of whole blood or one ml of bone marrow aspirate sample in EDTA tube was collected for the detection of TP53 mutation by the FISH technique. Statistical package for social sciences 21 was used for data entry and analysis. RESULTS: Of the 139 chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients, 43 (31%) were females and 96 (69%) were males. The mean age of all patients was 56.3±10.84 years. Tp53 gene mutation in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia was found only in 19(13.7%) patients. Among these patients 15 (10.9%) were male and 04(2.9%) were females. Age and gender were not statistically significant with Tp53 mutation with a p-value > 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval. CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of Pakistani patients with Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, TP53 gene mutation was found in 19 (13.7%).