INTRODUCTION:Transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs) can cause threat to bloody safety as blood transfusion is an important mode of transmission of TTI to the recipient, hence, to prevent transmission of these diseases, screening tests on blood bags is an important step for blood safety.AIM:This study was undertaken with the aim of determining the seroprevalence of TTI in healthy blood donors in a tertiary care blood bank.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A retrospective study was carried out over a period of 5 years from January 2007 to December 2011. Serum samples were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Type 1 and 2, hepatitis c virus (HCV) and syphilis using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with the third generation kits and venereal disease research laboratory test, respectively.RESULTS:A total of 76,653 healthy donors were included out of which majority of donors were male (91.79%). The overall seroprevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV, and syphilis were 0.26%, 1.30%, 0.25%, and 0.28%, respectively.CONCLUSION:Methods to ensure a safety blood supply should be encouraged. For that, screening with a better selection of donors and use of sensitive screening tests including nucleic acid testing technology should be implemented.

9 Moore SC, Bisset GS, Siegel MJ, et al. Pediatric musculoskeletal MR imaging. Radiology 1991;179:345-60. 10 Platt OS, Brambilla DJ, Rosse WF, et al. Mortality in sickle cell disease. Life expectancy and risk factors for early death. N Engl

Aims Blood donors are of voluntary and replacement type. All donors, especially voluntary, are considered as `low risk' for seropositive status for Hepatitis B and C, HIV and syphilis. The present study endeavors to screen blood donors-a `low risk' group and evaluate the resultant data.Methodology We screened 23,068 donors serologically over 2 years for the above blood transmissible diseases. Serum alanine aminotranferase (ALT) and bilirubin were evaluated as surrogate markers in hepatitis B and C positive donors.Results Seroprevalence rates were found to be HIV (1.96 %), syphilis (2.15 %), hepatitis B (1.98 %) and hepatitis C (0.9 %). Majority donors were voluntary (70.37 %) and male (96.2 %). However seroprevalence rates showed no signifi cant difference: voluntary (7.02 %), replacement (6.67 %) male (6.85 %) and female (6.95 %). HCV and HIV showed highest (29.6 %) while HBV and HCV (2.5 %) showed lowest concomitance. Serum ALT and bilirubin were not effective surrogate markers. No demographic or behavioral variable was found as a signifi cant risk factor.Conclusion Thus, all donors need adequate privacy, information, counseling and motivation in order to reduce the seropositive rates in donors. Advent of sensitive tests renders surrogate markers redundant.

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