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Background: Blood is a scarce, but lifesaving resource; it is also the most efficient vehicle for the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Hence there is a need for accurate screening of HIV among blood donors. The present study was designed to assess the seroprevalence of HIV, among the blood donors in a tertiary care hospital, Andhra Pradesh. Methods: Prospective study over a period of one year. A total of 5,329 donor blood samples were screened for HIV status using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The reactive samples have been tested again twice using different kits. The samples reactive all three times were considered positive. The samples which were positive only in first test were labelled as false positive. Results: Out of 5,329 blood donors screened, 27 (0.5%) were initially reactive and 15 (0.28%) were reactive after triple testing. Conclusions: Our study showed similar HIV seroprevalence as that reported by National acquired immunodeficiency syndrome control organization statistics. But there was a mild increase in HIV prevalence among rural donors in our region compared to the urban donors.

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The blood sample of a 54-year-old male patient who presented with signs and symptoms suggestive of anaemia was submitted to the Blood Bank for blood grouping and cross-matching. In forward grouping, no agglutination was observed with A, B and AB antisera, but agglutination was noticed with D antiserum (Group O). In reverse grouping, there was agglutination in tube labelled A and no agglutination in tubes B and O (Group B) resulting in discrepancy between forward and reverse grouping. Further testing confirmed that the individual's blood group was Para-Bombay B (Para-BH), which is a rare entity. The Para-Bombay phenotype is very rare. Only a few cases of Para-Bombay were reported in India till now and none from Andhra Pradesh. This entity is characterized by the absence of H, A and B antigens on the red cells but their presence in saliva and secretions of gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. Proper identification of this phenotype is very important; otherwise this particular blood group may be mislabelled as group O.