Two years' experience of implementing molecular screening of hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus 1, 2 in Riyadh blood donors

Hanat S Mohamud; Deqa H Mohamed; Farjah H Alqahtani; Fahad M Almajid; Khalid Alswat; Ali M Somily

doi:10.1016/j.transci.2015.10.003

Two years' experience of implementing molecular screening of hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus 1, 2 in Riyadh blood donors

Transfus Apher Sci. 2016 Apr;54(2):262-5. doi: 10.1016/j.transci.2015.10.003. Epub 2015 Oct 13.

Authors

Hanat S Mohamud¹, Deqa H Mohamed², Farjah H Alqahtani³, Fahad M Almajid⁴, Khalid Alswat⁵, Ali M Somily²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Transfusion Microbiology Department, King Khalid University Hospital Blood Bank, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: hmohamud@ksu.edu.sa.
² Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medicine, Pathology/Microbiology Division, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Transfusion Microbiology Department, King Khalid University Hospital Blood Bank, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Division, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medicine, Gastroenterology Division, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PMID: 26497616
DOI: 10.1016/j.transci.2015.10.003

Abstract

Molecular screening technologies have improved blood safety by reducing the number of window-period transmissions relative to serological screening. In the two years following the introduction of molecular testing in King Khalid University Hospital, Saudi Arabia, 25,920 donor samples were screened in parallel by both serological and molecular techniques for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). No HCV or HIV NAT yields were detected. However, molecular screening enabled the interdiction of two confirmed HBV NAT yields. This is only the second report of confirmed HBV NAT yield in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and amongst the few reports in the wider Middle East and North Africa region.

Keywords: HBV; NAT yield; Riyadh.

MeSH terms

Blood Donors*
Donor Selection / methods*
Female
HIV Infections / blood*
HIV-1*
HIV-2*
Hepacivirus*
Hepatitis B / blood*
Hepatitis B virus*
Hepatitis C / blood*
Humans
Male
Saudi Arabia