Abstract :
Blood transfusion safety is an important health issue particularly in regions endemic to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In this research, our goal was to investigate the prevalence of isolated HBV core antibodies (IAHBc) in Mauritanian blood donors and the risk of hepatitis B reactivation associated with this serological pattern. Samples of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative blood donors were collected from the National Center of Blood Transfusion in Nouakchott and screened for both hepatitis B core antibodies (anti-HBc) and hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti-HBs) using Mini VIDAS. Plasma HBV DNA was determined using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in subjects with isolated anti-HBc (IAHBc). Out of the 320 healthy donors recruited for this study, 48.7% (156/320) had anti-HBc and 14.7% (47/320) were IAHBc carriers. No HBV DNA was detected in any of the subjects. In the first evaluation of blood safety in the country, no occult HBV infection was detected. Nevertheless, screening for IAHBc and anti-HBc antibodies should be introduced, considering the risk associated with these antibodies and their relatively high prevalence in our cohort.
