Significance of NAT in the Identification of HBV Infections and HCV Infections Among Serologically Negative Blood Donors in Hail, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections pose significant global health concerns, contributing to chronic liver diseases. Blood transfusion is identified as a potential route for the transmission of these viruses, necessitating effective screening strategies for blood donors. The aim of this study was to assess the significance of nucleic acid testing (NAT) in detecting HBV and HCV infections among blood donors who initially tested negative in serological tests. Additionally, the study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV infections among blood donors in Hail.

Methods: A total of 23,954 records were retrieved from voluntary blood donors at Hail Regional Laboratory and Blood Bank from January 2020 to April 2023. ‎Chi-squared tests were used to assess the association between the serological and NAT results, while t-tests were employed to compare the means of continuous variables.

Results: Numbers of the reactive ELISA serological methods or screening were 36 (0.15%) for HBs Ag, 931 (3.6%) for HBcAb, 57 (0.23%) for HBsAb, and finally, 57 (0.23%) for HCV Ab. Seroprevalence was low, with a prevalence rate of 0.15% for HBV and 0.23% for HCV. The study compared serological and nucleic acid testing results for hepatitis B and C infections; a small percentage (0.01%) showed reactive NAT results, indicating early acute infections that may have been missed by serological testing alone.

Conclusions: The study concludes that incorporating NAT into blood screening protocols is crucial for enhancing early infection detection and reducing risk of transfusion-transmitted infections. Low seroprevalence rate suggests effectiveness of existing preventive measures.