Prevalence and characterization of occult hepatitis B infection among blood donors in central Saudi Arabia

Authors

• Areej I. Alshayea, From the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences (Alshayea, Eid), College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University Hospital, and the Department of Pathology (El-Hazmi, Alhetheel), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Gamal E. Eid, From the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences (Alshayea, Eid), College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University Hospital, and the Department of Pathology (El-Hazmi, Alhetheel), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Malak M. El-Hazmi, From the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences (Alshayea, Eid), College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University Hospital, and the Department of Pathology (El-Hazmi, Alhetheel), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Abdulkarim F. Alhetheel, From the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences (Alshayea, Eid), College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University Hospital, and the Department of Pathology (El-Hazmi, Alhetheel), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of occult hepatitis B viral infections (OBIs) among blood donors considering the clinical and epidemiological importance of identifying OBIs. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between January 2011 and January 2012. Blood donors (n=8501) were screened for Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B core antibodies (HBcAb). All HBsAg-negative and HBcAb-positive samples were tested further for hepatitis B surface antibodies (HBsAb), hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA, and HBV genotyping. Results: Of the 8501 serum samples tested, 56 (0.7%) were positive and 8445 (99.3%) were negative for HBsAg. Among the HBsAg-negative samples, 198 (2.3%) were positive for HBcAb and these patients were suspected to have OBIs. Among the HBcAb-positive samples, 119 (60.1%) were positive while 79 (39.9%) were negative for HBsAb. Analysis of HBV-DNA for the suspected OBIs showed that 17 out of 198 samples (8.6%) yielded positive results, and all of them were HBsAb-negative. The viral load was low (<20-186 IU/mL) in all OBIs. Hepatitis B virus genotyping showed that 15 out of 17 samples (88.2%) were genotype D, and the other 2 samples (11.8%) were genotype E. Conclusion: The prevalence of OBIs among blood donors in Riyadh was 0.2%. Therefore, it is recommended that HBV molecular testing should be incorporated with serological assays for screening of blood donors.

Article Type

Research Article

First Page

1114

Last Page

1119

Recommended Citation

Alshayea, Areej I.; Eid, Gamal E.; El-Hazmi, Malak M.; and Alhetheel, Abdulkarim F. (2016) "Prevalence and characterization of occult hepatitis B infection among blood donors in central Saudi Arabia," Saudi Medical Journal: Vol. 37: Iss. 10, Article 11.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2016.10.14705