Frequency of Viral Transfusion-Transmitted Infections (TTIs) Among Resident and Pilgrim Blood Donors in Mashhad, 2011

Abstract

Background: Mashhad is a large pilgrimage city with over 20 million pilgrims and tourists annually. Some pilgrims donate their blood voluntarily during the pilgrimage. Objectives: The present study aimed to compare the prevalence of viral transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) between resident and pilgrim blood donors in Mashhad. Methods: We reviewed the records of all blood donors in Mashhad blood centers in 2011. The demographic data and the prevalence of TTIs, including HBV, HCV, HIV, and HTLV-1, were compared between 42821 donors from Mashhad and 15219 donors from other cities of Iran. The data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2010 and Epi-Info 6.0 software. Results:The mean age of residents and pilgrims was 34.6 ± 9.9 and 34.2 ± 10 years, respectively. The male to female ratio in the first group was higher than that in the second group (13.1 and 6.6, respectively). One-third of the residents and nearly two-thirds of the pilgrims were first-time blood donors. The most prevalent TTIs among the residents were HTLV-1 (0.39%) and HBV (0.33%); however, the frequencies of these infections were 0.24% and 0.57% among the pilgrims, respectively. The seroprevalence of HCV infection was 0.054% and 0.072% in the first and second groups, respectively. The HIV infection was observed only in one donor from Mashhad. Conclusions: A low prevalence of TTIs, particularly HCV and HIV infections, was found among blood donors from all parts of Iran. A higher prevalence of HTLV-1 infection among Mashhad donor population than among donors from other parts of Iran verified the virus endemicity in this region.

Low Prevalence of Anti-HBc Antibody and Lack of HBV DNA Among HBsAg-Negative Blood Donors in Iran: A Cross-sectional Study and Review of Literature

“…We previously reported rates of 1.4% and 0.33% HBsAg positivity among the general population and blood donation volunteers, respectively, in Mashhad, the capital city of Razavi Khorasan province, northeastern Iran. 21 , 22 On the other hand, 8.5% of HBsAg non-reactive BDs in this city showed anti-HBc seroreactivity; however, no cases of occult hepatitis B were detected among anti-HBC-positive BDs. 23 We aimed to determine the rate of anti-HBC seropositivity among HbsAg seronegative donors in this region and HBV DNA positivity irrespective of serum anti-HBc status.…”

“…23 Our previous survey also showed a declining trend in the HBsAg positivity rate among BDs in northeastern Iran. 22 Similarly, a declining trend of HBV infection among Iranian BDs has been shown in both low and high HBV prevalence regions over the past decades. Amini Kafi-abad et al 74 reported that the overall HBsAg rates reduced from 1.8% in 1998 to 0.4% in 2007 in Iran.…”