Seroprevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis B in Blood Donors at the N’Zérékoré Regional Blood Transfusion Centre in Guinea

Blood transfusion saves lives and reduces morbidity and mortality for a large number of diseases and clinical conditions, but it is not without danger. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HIV and hepatitis B in blood donors received at the regional Blood Transfusion Centre of N’Zérékoré (Guinea). This was a 5-year retrospective analytical study. We included records of blood donors aged 18 to 60 years admitted to the N’Zérékoré Regional Blood Transfusion Centre for blood donation from January 2016 to December 2020. We performed a descriptive analysis followed by Chi-2 or Fish-er-exact tests and the Student or Wilcoxon test, followed by multivariate logistic regression. In this study, donor age ranged from 18 - 60 years, with a pre-dominance of donors aged 25 - 34 (44.2%). Male donors were the most represented in our study (79.0% versus 21.0% female). More than half of the donors were blood group O (55.6%). We observed a seroprevalence of 3.6% for HIV, 13.4% for HBsAg and 0.2% for co-infection. In our series, age 25 - 34 (OR = 1.89 and P = 0.001) and 35 - 44 for HIV (OR = 2.01 and P = 0.001), HBsAgserostatus (OR = 3.04 and P = 0.001) and blood donation history (OR of 3.04 and P = 0.001) were factors associated with HIV positivity (P < 0.05). In our study, HIV serostatus (OR = 3.04 and P = 0.001) and blood donation history (OR = 0.01 and P = 0.001) were factors associated with HBsAgseropositivity. We reported a high prevalence of HIV and HBsAg. Sex, serological status and blood donation history were associated factors.

Occurrence of Salmonella Enteric Serovar Typhi Antibodies among Blood Donors in Ghana

Background: Donated blood contaminated with S. Typhi can cause post-transfusion sepsis. This study aimed to determine the correlation between some risk factors of typhoid fever and seroprevalence of antibodies against S. Typhi among blood donors. Methodology: Following informed consent, socio-demographic and information on risk factors of typhoid infection was obtained using pre-structured questionnaires from 400 apparently healthy blood donors at the Tema General Hospital. Blood was also collected for serology and cultured for identification of pathogens by standard bacteriological method. Results: Blood culture did not reveal any S. Typhi isolate out of the tested 400 (348 males and 52 females) samples from apparently healthy blood donors. However, IgM and IgG antibody seroprevalence of 9.3% and 3.5% were detected. Age group of 17 - 24 years was the highest risk group, persons with a history of typhoid infection, and sources of drinking water were major risk factors for typhoid infection. It was also observed that prevalence of IgM was highest among new donors (62.2%), but lower in donors with a history of 1 to 3 blood donations (32.4%) and least among regular donors (>3 donations (5.4%)). In addition, typhoid prevention awareness and typhoid knowledge (knowledge about typhoid transmission) among the donors were poor (4.3% and 5.9% respectively). Conclusions: This study has shown an overall seroprevalence of 9% and 3.5% for IgM and IgG antibodies respectively among blood donors in the Tema area in Ghana. We advocate for the mandatory screening of donor units intended for transfusion for S. Typhi. Furthermore, there is an urgent need for the health education of all persons in Ghana on preventive measures and the spread of S. Typhi.

Seroprevalence of Viral Hepatitis B and C among Blood Donors at the Agadir Regional Transfusion Center

Introduction: The prevention of transmission of infections transmitted by blood transfusion depends on the correct selection of donors and the performance of adequate serological tests for the detection of pathogens, in particular viral hepatitis B and C viruses. The main objective of our study was to evaluate the seroprevalences of viral markers B and C in blood donors in the Agadir region. The secondary objectives were to evaluate these prevalences according to the socio-demographic characteristics of the donors and to evaluate the seroprevalence of other markers, in particular the human immunodeficiency virus. Methods: A retrospective analysis of files from the blood donor registers of the Agadir regional transfusion center, covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2020, was conducted. Results: The study included 13,092 donors, the mean age was 34 ± 11, the M/F sex ratio was 2.6. The overall seroprevalences of HBsAg, anti-HCV, anti-HIV were respectively: 1.3%, 0.2% and 0.3% respectively. For HBsAg, the prevalence was higher in men (p = 0.007). The prevalence of anti-HCV was higher in rural areas than in urban areas (p Conclusion: The low prevalences of viral markers B and C in our study compared to those recorded in the general Moroccan population reflect the effectiveness of preventive measures with regard to donor selection.

Investigation and Analysis of HIV Infection among Unpaid Blood Donors in Wuzhou City

Objective: To take the unpaid blood donors in Wuzhou City as the research object, analyze the characteristics and prevalence of HIV infection, further explore its epidemiological characteristics, and lay a solid foundation for the recruitment of unpaid blood donors and the safety of blood transfusion, so as to reduce the risk of HIV transmission through blood transfusion. Methods: This paper collected the anti-HIV test results of unpaid blood donors and the confirmation results of reactive samples from 2015 to 2020, and carried out statistical analysis on the relevant information of positive samples. Result: From 2015 to 2020, a total of 233,242 unpaid blood donors were tested, and the positive rate of anti-HIV initial screening was 0.057% (132/233,242), and the positive rate of anti-HIV confirmed was 0.022% (51/233,242);the comparison of positive rates in each year was P < 0.05. Among the total number of infections, 76.47% (39/51) of confirmed positive persons were infected with HIV alone, followed by combined TP infection, accounting for 15.69% (8/51);for the people between 46 and 55 years old, the infection rate was the highest, reaching 37.3%;and more men (90.2%) were infected than women. In terms of education background, junior high school and below were the majority, accounting for 58.83% of the total;in terms of marital status, the number of unmarried people was 27, accounting for 52.9%. In terms of occupation, there were two main groups: farmers and workers, accounting for 66.7% of the total number of infections, and students accounting for 15.7%. Among the confirmed positives, the proportion of first-time blood donors and whole blood donors was higher than that of those who donated blood again or donated component blood. Conclusion: The situation of HIV infection among unpaid blood donors in Wuzhou City was relatively stable from 2015 to 2020, with no significant change in the absolute number of infected people compared to the previous period (the HIV infection rate from 2010 to 2013 was 0.03%), and most of them were males, unmarried people and those with low education. Therefore, attention must be paid to the consultation and recruitment of blood donors before blood donation, as well as the HIV screening in the laboratory after blood donation, so as to ensure the safety of clinical blood use.

Haematology Parameters of Apparently Healthy Prospective Whole Blood Donors in a Nigerian Hospital Setting

Background: Adequate selection of a prospective whole blood donor protects his health and safety of the recipient. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to determine the haematology parameters of apparently healthy prospective whole blood donors. Participants and Methods: This was a hospital based prospective study carried out from August to October 2020 at the blood transfusion unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Nigeria. A structured pretested questionnaire was used for data collection. The socio demographic status and the haematology parameters of apparently healthy prospective whole blood donors who tested negative for HIV, hepatitis B and C markers were captured. Obtained data were analysed with the statistical package for the social scientist software version 20. Results: One hundred male (97.1%) and three female (2.9%) apparently healthy prospective whole blood donors were studied. The median age of study subjects was 30 years. Obtained median haematology parameter values were 13 g/dl, 40%, 4.9/nl and 203.9/nl for haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, total white cell and platelet counts respectively. The median values for the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of participants were 32.6 g/dl, 27.7 pg and 85.7 fl respectively. Observed prevalence of subnormal haematology parameters for haemoglobin concentration, total white cells, platelets were 12.6%, 25.2%, and 13.6% respectively. Also subnormal values for MCHC, MCH, MCV were 11.7%, 26.2%, and 16.5% respectively among prospective whole blood donors in this study. No higher than normal haematology parameter values were observed. Median values for erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 8.4 mm/hr. Conclusion: A significant percentage of apparently healthy prospective whole blood donors had subnormal haematology parameters values. Obtained normal values in our study are comparable with local reference range reports from previous studies in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. 124947 .

Current testing strategies for hepatitis C virus infection in blood donors and the way forward

Screening tests for blood donations are based upon sensitivity,cost-effectiveness and their suitability for high-throughput testing.Enzyme immunoassay(EIAs)for hepatitis C virus(HCV)antibodies were the initial screening tests introduced.The"first generation"antibody EIAs detected seroconversion after unduly long infectious window period.Improved HCV antibody assays still had an infectious window period around 66 d.HCV core antigen EIAs shortened the window period considerably,but high costs did not lead to widespread acceptance.A fourth-generation HCV antigen and antibody assay(combination EIA)is more convenient as two infectious markers of HCV are detected in the same assay.Molecular testing for HCV-RNA utilizing nucleic acid amplification technology(NAT)is the most sensitive assay and shortens the window period to only4 d.Implementation of NAT in many developed countries around the world has resulted in dramatic reductions in transfusion transmissible HCV and relative risk is now<1 per million donations.However,HCV serology still continues to be retained as some donations are serology positive but NAT negative.In resource constrained countries HCV screening is highly variable,depending upon infrastructure,trained manpower and financial resource.Rapid tests which do not require instrumentation and are simple to perform are used in many small and remotely located blood centres.The sensitivity as compared to EIAs is less and wherever feasible HCV antibody EIAs are most frequently used screening assays.Efforts have been made to implement combined antigen-antibody assays and even NAT in some of these countries.

The prevalence of transfusion transmitted virus infection in blood donors

INIRODUCIIONA newly discovered DNA virus,transfusiontransmitted virus (TTV),was reported as a cause ofpost-transfusion hepatitis of unknown etiology inJapan.In order to investigate TTV prevalence insouthern China,a study was carried out amongblood donors,patients with liver diseases andhemodialysis to determine the epidemiologicalcharateristics.

High frequencies of HGV and TTV infections in blood donors in Hangzhou

ALM To determine the frequencies of HGV and TTVinfections in blood donors in Hangzhou.METHODS RT-nested PCR for HGV RNA detection and semi-nested PCR for TTV DNA detection in the sera from 203 blood donors, and nucleotide sequence analysis were performed.``RESULTS Thirty-two ( 15.8%) and 30 (14.8%) of the 203serum samples were positive for HGV RNA and TTV DNA,respectively. And 5 (2.5%) of the 203 serum samples were detectable for both HGV RNA and TTV DNA.Homology of the nucleotide sequences of HGV RT-nested PCR products and TTV semi-nested PCR products from 3serum samples compared with the reported HGV and TTV sequences was 89.36%. 87.94%, 88.65% and 63.51%.65.77% and 67.12%. respectively.``CONCLUSION The infection rates of HGV and/or TTV inblood donors are relatively high. and to establish HGV and TTV examinations to screen blood donors is needed for transfusion security. The genomic heterogeneity of TTV or HGV is present in the isolates from different areas.

Epidemiological features of chronic hepatitis C infection caused by remunerated blood donors:A nearly 27-year period survey

AIM To understand the prevalence of hepatitis C virus(HCV) infection in blood donors over a nearly 27-year interval and to explore the factors that affect the outcome of HCV infection.METHODS A retrospective and cross-sectional study was conducted.The participants,mostly plasma donors,were selected from three administrative villages in the Jiangsu province in Eastern China.A questionnaire was administered among the villagers who had a history of blood donation from the late 1980 s to the early 1990 s.All participants underwent physical examination,liver B-ultrasonography,and liver stiffness measurement.In addition,10 m L of blood was collected from each participant to measure simple liver function parameters(albumin,alanine aminotransferase,aspirate aminotransferase),blood factors(platelet),and for hepatitis B surface antigen,anti HCV,and antihuman immunodeficiency virus detection.HCV RNA detection,HCV genotyping,and other tests were carried out in anti HCV-positive patients.RESULTS After a median of 27 years(25-31 years) from the last blood donation to the time of survey,a total of 1694 participants were investigated,and the anti HCVpositive individuals were categorized into three groups:blood donors(n = 12,3.3%),plasma donors(n = 534,68.5%),and mixed donors(n = 324,58.8%).A total of 592(68.05%) patients had detectable HCV RNA,and 91.9% had genotype 1 b.A total of 161(27.2%,161/592) patients with chronic HCV were considered to have cirrhosis with a liver stiffness measurement level higher than 12 k Pa.Multiple logistic(binary) regression analysis results showed that platelet and Ig G levels were associated with cirrhosis.CONCLUSION The nearly 27-year interval investigation revealed that chronic hepatitis C infection is a very serious public health problem in Eastern China.Plasma donation and subsequent return of blood cells to the donor are the main causes of hepatitis C infection.The main HCV genotype is 1 b.Nearly 28% of cases progressed to cirrhosis.Age,especially over 60 years,and regular drinking habits were risk factors associated with cirrhosis.

Challenge to ABO blood type barrier in living donor liver transplantation

ABO incompatible living donor liver transplantation has the potential to expand the donor pool for patients with end stage liver diseases on the expense of challenges to overcome immunological barriers across blood type.There is a profound impact of age on incidence and severity of antibody mediated rejection(AMR).Even children older than 1 year have chances of AMR;children aged 8 years or older have risks of hepatic necrosis similar to adult liver recipients.The mechanism of AMR is based on circulatory disturbances secondary to inflammation and injury of the vascular endothelium caused by an antibody-antigen-complement reaction.The strategy to overcome ABO blood type barrier is based on both pre-transplant desensitization and adequate treatment of this phenomenon.Nowadays,rituximab is the standard means of desensitization but unfortunately an insufficient aid to treat AMR.Because of low incidence(less than 5%in the rituximab era),in practice of AMR only some case reports about the treatment of clinical AMR are available in the literature.Initial experiences revealed that the proteasome inhibitor,bortezomib might be a promising treatment based on its capacity to deplete plasma cell agents.Although ABO blood type barrier has been counteracted in 95%of patients by applying“rituximab-desensitization”,many issues,such as prediction of high-risk patients of infection and AMR and secure treatment strategies for evoked AMR,remain to be resolved.

Serum γ-glutamyltransferase,alanine aminotransferase,and aspartate aminotransferase activity in Iranian healthy blood donor men

AIM: To determine serum γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity, and to assess their correlation with demographic and clinical findings in healthy blood donors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in 934 male blood donors, aged 18 to 68 years, who consecutively attended Tehran blood transfusion service in 2006. All participants were seronegative for HBV or HCV infections, non alcohol users, and all underwent a standard interview and anthropometric tests. Clinical and biochemical parameters including AST, ALT, and GGT activities were determined. Patients taking drugs known to cause hepatic fat deposition were excluded. For AST, ALT, and GGT variables, we used 33.33 and 66.66 percentiles, so that each of them was divided into three tertiles. RESULTS: Mean AST, ALT, and GGT activities were 25.26 ± 12.58 U/L (normal range 5-35 U/L), 33.13 ± 22.98 (normal range 5-35 U/L), and 25.11 ± 18.32 (normal range 6-37 U/L), respectively. By univariate analyses, there were significant associations between increasing AST, ALT, or GGT tertiles and age, body weight, body mass index, and waist and hip circumferences (P < 0.05). By multiple linear regression analyses, ALT was found to be positively correlated with dyslipidemia (B = 6.988, P = 0.038), whereas ALT and AST were negatively correlated with age. AST, ALT, and GGT levels had positive correlation with family history of liver disease (B = 15.763, P < 0.001), (B = 32.345, P < 0.001), (B =24.415, P < 0.001), respectively.CONCLUSION: Although we did not determine the cutoffs of the upper normal limits for AST, ALT, and GGT levels, we would suggest screening asymptomatic patients with dyslipidemia and also subjects with a family history of liver disease.

Modelling the prevalence of hepatitis C virus amongst blood donors in Libya:An investigation of providing a preventive strategy

AIM: To determine hepatitis C virus(HCV) seroprevalence among the Libyan population using blood donors and applying the autoregressive integrated moving average(ARIMA) model to predict future trends and formulate plans to minimize the burden of HCV infection.METHODS: HCV positive cases were collected from 1008214 healthy blood donors over a 6-year period from 2008 to 2013. Data were used to construct the ARIMA model to forecast HCV seroprevalence among blood donors. The validity of the model was assessed using the mean absolute percentage error between the observed and fitted seroprevalence. The fitted ARIMA model was used to forecast the incidence of HCV beyond the observed period for the year 2014 and further to 2055.RESULTS: The overall prevalence of HCV among blood donors was 1.8%, varying over the study period from 1.7% to 2.5%, though no significant variation was found within each calendar year. The ARIMA model showed a non-significant auto-correlation of the residuals, and the prevalence was steady within the last 3 years as expressed by the goodness-of-fit test. The forecast incidence showed an increase in HCV seropositivity in 2014, ranging from 500 to 700 per 10000 population, with an overall prevalence of 2.3%-2.7%. This may be extended to 2055 with minimal periodical variation within each 6-year period.CONCLUSION: The applied model was found to be valuable in evaluating the seroprevalence of HCV among blood donors, and highlighted the growing burden of such infection on the Libyan health care system. The model may help in formulating national policies to prevent increases in HCV infection and plan future strategies that target the consequences of the infection.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Hepatitis Delta Virus Transmission among HBsAg Positive Blood Donors in Brazzaville, Congo

Background: Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a defective virus that requires the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) for replication. It is a major cause of severe acute and chronic hepatitis B. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of HDV in blood donors. Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study involving HBsAg-positive blood donors covering the period from July to December 2020. Testing for HDV RNA was performed by conventional two-step RT-PCR. Data were analysed using SPSS version 22 software. Result: Of 113 HBsAg positive samples included in the study 22 or 19.5% were HDV positive. The prevalence of HDV was higher in the age group 31 - 45 years (45.5%), in male donors (71.4%) and in donors with secondary education (50.0%). Furthermore, 55.4% belonged to the family donor category. A significant statistical difference was observed between HDV infection, tattoos, piercings and multiple sexual partners. Conclusion: This study shows a high prevalence of HDV among blood donors in Brazzaville.

High Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Compared to Human Immunodeficiency Virus among Blood Donors in Bangui

Introduction: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is a public health problem worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: to compare the epidemiological, clinical and biological characteristics of chronic HBV and HIV infection in blood donors at the National Center for Blood Transfusion (NCBT) in Bangui. Patients and Methods: This was an 8-month analytical cross-sectional study from August 10, 2011 to April 9, 2012. During this study, we consecutively enrolled consenting blood donors of both sexes in which the search for HBsAg and HIV infection was carried out. Results: During the study period, 850 blood donors were collected. HBsAg was found in 142 donors (16.7%), of whom 55 blood donors (6.5%) were coinfected with HIV. On the other hand, HIV serology was positive in 77 blood donors (9.1%) including 55 co-infected (6.5%) with HBV. In order to better compare the risk factors, we have not included HIV-HBV coinfected patients. Only 795 blood donors were selected for the risk factor study. There were 87 cases of HBsAg positive (10.9%) and 22 cases of HIV positive (2.8%). The average age of HIV and HBV infected patients was 25.7 and 26.2 years, respectively. Twelve blood donors (1.5%) over the age of 20 were HBsAg versus 3 HIV positive blood donors (0.4%). Among blood donors over the age of 20, 75 (9.9%) were HBsAg positive, while 19 (2.4%) were HIV positive. Men were infected with HIV in 20 cases (2.5%), while those infected with HBV were 84 (10.6%). The risk factor found during HIV infection and HBV was unprotected sex with a p of 0.0038 and 0.0017 respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of HBV infection is higher than that of HIV among blood donors in Bangui. The setting up of a national viral hepatitis control program, which will develop screening, treatment and vaccination actions could make the curve bend.

An autoregressive integrated moving average model for short-term prediction of hepatitis C virus seropositivity among male volunteer blood donors in Karachi,Pakistan

AIM:To identify the stochastic autoregressive integrated moving average(ARIMA)model for short term forecasting of hepatitis C virus(HCV)seropositivity among volunteer blood donors in Karachi,Pakistan.METHODS:Ninety-six months(1998-2005)data on HCV seropositive cases(1000 -1 ×month -1)among male volunteer blood donors tested at four major blood banks in Karachi,Pakistan were subjected to ARIMA modeling.Subsequently,a fitted ARIMA model was used to forecast HCV seropositive donors for 91-96 mo to contrast with observed series of the same months.To assess the forecast accuracy,the mean absolute error rate(%)between the observed and predicted HCV seroprevalence was calculated.Finally,a fitted ARIMA model was used for short-term forecasts beyond the observed series.RESULTS:The goodness-of-fit test of the optimum A R I M A(2,1,7)model showed non-significant autocorrelations in the residuals of the model.The forecasts by ARIMA for 91-96 mo closely followed the pattern of observed series for the same months,with mean monthly absolute forecast errors(%)over 6 mo of 6.5%.The short-term forecasts beyond the observed series adequately captured the pattern in the data and showed increasing tendency of HCV seropositivity with a mean±SD HCV seroprevalence(1000-1×month-1) of 24.3±1.4 over the forecast interval.CONCLUSION:To curtail HCV spread,public health authorities need to educate communities and health care providers about HCV transmission routes based on known HCV epidemiology in Pakistan and its neighboring countries.Future research may focus on factors associated with hyperendemic levels of HCV infection.

Investigation on HTLV Infection among Voluntary Blood Donors in Wuzhou City

Objective: To understand the infection of HTLV among voluntary blood donors in Wuzhou City, and to provide reference for the national health administrative department to formulate blood safety screening strategies. Methods: The HTLV double-antigen sandwich ELISA reagent was used to screen the blood samples of unpaid blood donors, and the reactive samples in the initial screening were subjected to a double-well retest;Specimens that were still reactive in the retest were further confirmed by viral nucleic acid amplification test (PCR) and western blotting (WB). Results: A total of 9 of 20,222 unpaid blood donation samples were screened to be reactive, and the screening response rate was 0.04%;Two samples of HTLV-1 nucleic acid and western blotting (WB) were confirmed to be positive, and the other seven samples were negative;The confirmed positive rate was 0.01%. Conclusion: There was a certain positive rate of HTLV-1 serological screening among the non remunerated blood donors in Wuzhou City, and the confirmation test confirmed that there was a certain risk of HTLV infection;In order to further understand the HTLV infection of blood donors in this city, we should further increase the number of screening samples, so as to obtain more reliable and accurate data in this region, and provide data and reference for the health administration department to formulate HTLV screening strategies for blood donors.

Anti-HBc screening in Indian blood donors:Still an unresolved issue

AIM:To study the seroprevalence of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) in healthy blood donors negative for HBsAg and to evaluate whether anti-HBc detection could be adopted in India as a screening assay for HBV in addition to HBsAg. METHODS: A total of 1700 serum samples collected from HBsAg-negative healthy blood donors were tested for the presence of anti-HBc antibody (IgM + IgG). All samples reactive for anti-HBc antibody were then investigated for presence of anti-HBs and for liver function tests (LFTs). One hundred serum samples reactive for anti-HBc were tested for HBV DNA by PCR method. RESULTS: Out of 1700 samples tested, 142 (8.4%) blood samples were found to be reactive for anti-HBc. It was signif icantly lower in voluntary (6.9%) as compared to replacement donors (10.4%, P = 0.011). Seventy- two (50.7%) anti-HBc reactive samples were also reactive for anti-HBs with levels > 10 mIU/mL and 70 (49.3%) samples were non-reactive for anti-HBs, these units were labeled as anti-HBc-only. These 142 anti-HBc reactive units were also tested for liver function test. HBV DNA was detected in only 1 of 100 samples tested. CONCLUSION: Keeping in view that 8%-18% of donor population in India is anti-HBc reactive, inclusion of anti- HBc testing will lead to high discard rate. Anti-HBs as proposed previously does not seem to predict clearance of the virus. Cost effectiveness of introducing universalanti-HBc screening and discarding large number of blood units versus considering ID NAT (Individual donor nuclic acid testing) needs to be assessed.

Serological and molecular study of hepatitis E virus among illegal blood donors

AIM:To investigate the seroprevalence and molecular characteristics of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in the illegal blood donors (IBDs) of central China in the early 1990s.METHODS:A total of 546 blood samples were collected from the IBDs in Maanshan city,a questionnaire was completed by each subject,detailing the age,sex,and periods of blood or plasma donation.Anhui Province and tested for the anti-HEV antibodies.The seropositive samples were subjected to nested reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction and sequencing to analyze HEV partial genome.RESULTS:The prevalence of IgG and IgM HEV antibody in IBDs was 22.7% and 1.8%,and genotype 4 was the dominant circulating HEV type in IBDs.The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG was significantly related to sex (OR=4.905,P=0.004) and increased with age (OR=2.78,P=0.022),which ranged from 13.0% in those<40 years old to 30.6% among older persons aged>60 years.Moreover,frequency of blood donation was significantly associated with HEV seropositivity (OR=2.06,P=0.006).HEV partial sequences of ORF2 and obtained 3 sequences in serum samples of 10 IBDs which developed HEV specific IgM.CONCLUSION:This study helps define one of the possible routes of transmission of sporadic HEV infection and provides guidance to screen HEV in the blood donors so as to guarantee safe blood banks in China.