Seroepidemiology of transfusion-transmitted infections among blood donors at a tertiary care center in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

Background: Blood is precious as well as scarce lifesaving medication. Proper screening of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), syphilis, and malarial parasite (MP) with appropriate methods is needed to ensure that the donated blood is made innocuous for transfusion. Objective: The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of TTI and their epidemiological aspects in blood donors in a hospital-based blood bank in Nerul, Navi Mumbai. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of the total of 4708 donors was carried out from January 2015 to December 2018 year. Screening of HIV was done using the fourth-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and for hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) and HCV by the third-generation ELISA kit. Testing for syphilis was done with rapid plasma reagin and MP was tested with rapid card test. Results: Voluntary donors were 4702 (99.9%) while replacement constituted for 6 (0.12%) number of cases. Among 4708 donors, 4079 (96%) were male and 629 (4%) were female. Among 66 (1.4%) transfusion transmitted diseases (TTD)-positive donors, the highest number of donors 28 (42%) belongs to 18–27 years of age group while the lowest 5 (2%) belonged to 48–57 years. Overall prevalence of HIV, HbsAg, HCV, syphilis, and MP was 0.08%, 1.1%, 0.2%, 0.04%, and 0.02%, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of TTD was more in males, in 18–27 age groups, and in voluntary donors. The most common TTI was HBV, followed by HCV, HIV, syphilis, and MP, respectively.