Mosquito borne virus USUTU as potential threat to human health.

Optimal blood donation screening annotation.

A total of 4683 donated blood units were screened for HCV-Ab, HBs-Ag, VDRL, malaria parasites and ALT between January 1993 and April 1994. Of the blood units, 7.7% were positive for one or two hepatitis markers (HCV-Ab, HBs-Ag), while 4.6% were positive for HCV antibody, and 3.3% of the 4.6% were accounted for by Egyptian blood donors. Thus, 73% of all positive blood units for HCV-Ab were from Egyptian donors, while the rate of positive blood units for Saudi blood donors was 0.9%. Three and one-tenth percent of the total blood units were positive for HBs antigen, 2.3% from the Saudi population. Thus, 75% of all positive blood units were from Saudi donors. The percentage for HBs-Ag blood units for Egyptians was 0.3%. The exact prevalence of HCV-Ab-positive blood units among Saudis was 1.2% and HBs-Ag-positive units was 3.3%. Prevalence of HCV-Ab-reactive blood units among Egyptians was 34% and HBs-Ag-positive units was 3.3%. HCV-RNA using PCR was detected in a total of 86% of the individuals reactive to HCV antibody. Forty-three percent of hepatitis-B- and/or C-reactive blood donors had elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Elevated ALT was observed in a higher percentage among HCV-Ab-reactive blood donors as compared to HBs-Ag-reactive donors.

A reassessment of the literature on the hepatitis G virus t is now abundantly clear that the hepatitis G virus (HGV)' and its strain variant, the GB agent (GBV-C),2 are prevalent agents with a high carrier rate in the vol-

Laboratory confirmation of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) relies on detection of Neisseria meningitidis in a biological specimen. Clinical management guidelines for patients presenting with signs and/or symptoms of meningitis and encephalitis emphasize the need for appropriate specimen collection for laboratory testing. To explore the potential for IMD under-diagnosis, we reviewed medical records of patients admitted with signs and/or symptoms of meningitis or encephalitis at five hospitals in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2014 to 2023. Among 675 patients admitted with meningitis and/or encephalitis with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures who received antibiotics, 300 (44.4%) received antibiotics before CSF collection. Among 431 with blood cultures who received antibiotics, 133 (30.9%) received antibiotics before blood collection. Among 751 patients with CSF collected, 651 (86.7%) CSF specimens were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for N. meningitidis detection. No blood specimens were PCR-tested. These findings indicated that current standard-of-care practices may lead to IMD under-diagnosis. Since public health surveillance relies on IMD laboratory diagnosis, these findings highlight the potential for under-ascertained IMD by surveillance.

Tattoos and transfusion-transmitted disease risk: implications for the screening of blood donors in Brazil.

Invasive species often cause economic damage due to their impact on economically valuable resident species. We study optimal regulation in terms of simultaneous control and adaptation when the purpose is to manage an invasive species which competes for scarce resources with a resident species. The optimal policy includes both subsidies for control of an invasive species with zero commercial value, and harvesting taxes on the resident species which are adjusted in the presence of an invasion. A numerical age-structured optimization model is used to analyze the role of species’ life history, i.e. the degree of evolutionary specialization in survival or reproduction, for the choice of strategy and the associated economic instruments. Results show that, irrespective of life history, both policies are implemented in efficient solutions, but subsidies for controlling the invader are used to a larger extent when it is possible to target specific age classes of the invader. If a resident species is harvested non-selectively, the optimal subsidy for control of the invader is lower, and if the invader is specialized in survival the control subsidy mirrors the resident species harvest cycle.

Background: Hepatitis B and C viral infections, which are the most common cause of liver infection worldwide, are major health issues around the globe. People with chronic hepatitis infections remain at risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatic carcinoma, while also being a risk to other diseases. These infections are highly contagious in nature, and the prevention of hepatitis B and C transmission during blood transfusion is a major challenge for healthcare workers. Although epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis B and C infections in blood donors in Saudi Arabia have been previously investigated in multiple studies, due to targeted cohorts and the vast geographical distribution of Saudi Arabia, there are a lot of missing data points, which necessitates further investigations. Aim of the study: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C viral infections among blood donors in the northern region of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: To determine the given objectives, a retrospective study was performed which included data gathered from serological as well as nucleic acid test (NAT) screening of blood donors. Clinical data of 3733 blood donors were collected for a period of 2 years (from January 2019 to December 2020) at the blood bank of King Khalid General Hospital and the associated blood banks and donation camps in the region. Statistical analysis of the clinical data was performed using SPSS. Results: The blood samples of 3733 donors were analyzed to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C among the blood donors in the northern region of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Among the total of 3733 blood donors, 3645 (97.65%) were men and 88 (2.36%) were women. Most of the donors were younger than 27 years of age (n = 1494). The most frequent blood group in our study was O-positive (n = 1534), and the least frequent was AB-negative (n = 29). After statistically analyzing the clinical data, we observed that 7 (0.19%), 203 (5.44%) and 260 (6.96%) donor blood samples were positive for the HBV serological markers HBsAgs, HBsAbs and HBcAbs, respectively, and 12 (0.32%) blood samples reacted positively to anti-HCV antibodies. Moreover, 10 (0.27%) and 1 (0.027%) samples were NAT-HBV positive and NAT-HCV positive, respectively. Conclusion: In the current study, low prevalence rates of HBV and HCV were observed in the blood donors. Statistical correlations indicated that both serological tests and NATs are highly effective in screening potential blood donors for HBV and HCV, which, in turn, prevents potential transfusion-transmitted hepatitis.

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are among the greatest threats to blood safety for the recipient. They are also the leading cause of death, chronic and life-threatening abnormalities. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the Sero-prevalence of HIV, Hepatitis B and C virus among blood donors at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital.MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional study was used to estimate the seroprevalence of HIV, Hepatitis B and C virus among blood donors at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from May–July 2018. Screening of HIV, HBV, and HCV was done by using the Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay. Records of 5983 first time blood donors were collected and reviewed by using a checklist from registration book. Data was entered in statistical package EP Info version 3.5.1, and data cleaned and analyzed using the statistical package SPSS version 16.0.ResultsOf 5983 blood donors, 85.5% (5118/5983) donors were males and 14.5% (865/5983) were females. The median age was 27 years and the highest blood donations age category was between 20 to 51.2% (29/5983) followed by 30 to 39 years of age, 21.6% (1295/5983). The prevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV infections were 2.5% (95% CI: 1.07–2.398), 4.1% (95% CI: 0.461–1.053) and 1.6% (95% CI: 0.845–3.354), respectively. HIV infection was significantly associated with gender (p = 0.021, x2 = 5.358) and HCV infection with age group (p = 0.003, x2 = 17.673). Of all donated blood, 8.2% (489/5983) had serological evidence for at least one of the screened pathogens and 58 (0.96%) of them had multiple infections.ConclusionsThis study showed a significant prevalence of HIV, HBV, and HCV among blood donors, 2.5% (147/5983), 4.1% (244/5983) and 1.6% (98/5983), respectively. Therefore, strict selection of blood donors with an emphasis on getting voluntary blood donors, and highly sensitive and specific tests for screening of blood donors for HIV, HBV, and HCV using standard methods are highly recommended to ensure the safety of blood for the recipient.

ABSTRACTBackground: The southeastern coastal area of China has a high prevalence of HTLV-1 infection among blood donors. However, the estimation of HTLV-1 prevalence on a national and regional level is little known. The aim of this study is to understand and explore the estimation of HTLV-1 infection prevalence among blood donors on a national and regional level in mainland China by using a systematic review and meta-analysis.Study design and methods: All relevant publications of the past two decades (1998–2017), which were reported in both English and Chinese languages, were adopted and systematically assessed. The estimation of prevalence and its 95% confidence interval (CI) at the level of provinces/municipalities and overall were estimated using meta-analysis method.Results: From the 327 studies searched, 60 met the inclusion criteria. These were from 18 provinces and four municipalities and included 1,420,079 blood donors. The overall estimation of the HTLV-1 prevalence in blood donors was 0.169‰, and its 95% CI was 0.121‰-0.240‰.Conclusion: A disproportionate distribution of HTLV-1 infection among blood donors in different provinces/municipalities regarding its prevalence has been reported. This study recommends developing appropriate HTLV-1 screening strategies of blood donors in various regions of China considering regional prevalence, and cost-effectiveness.

The objective was to determine risk factors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in blood donors in Beijing. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a total of 112 volunteer blood donors at Beijing Red Cross Blood Center (BRCBC) who were identified between January 2002 and December 2003 due to isolated HCV antibody reactivity at a donor screening procedure. The donors were recalled and interviewed about possible risk factor history. Additional blood samples were tested in repeated enzyme immunoassay, recombinant immunoblot assay, and nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Chi-square test, analysis of variance, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were conducted to examine associations between HCV serostatus and potential risk factors. Among donors identified with isolated HCV antibody reactivity at donor screening, the prevalence of confirmed HCV infection was 31.3 percent (95% confidence interval [CI], 22.0%-39.2%) and indeterminate HCV infection was 22.3 percent (95% CI, 14.7%-30.3%), and the negative prevalence was 46.4 percent (95% CI, 37.5%-56.1%). The confirmed HCV cases were more likely than the indeterminate HCV cases to have the histories of previous transfusion, plasma donation, and hepatitis infection or elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT), whereas the HCV-negative subjects were least likely to have the above histories (p < 0.05). Histories of blood transfusion before 1995, plasma donation, previous hepatitis infection, or elevated ALT were risk factors for HCV infection among blood donors in Beijing.

Estimate for HCV and HIV-1 includes NAT blood screening data across multiple blood donor centers 18 † Estimate for HBV risk is prior to NAT HBV DNA blood screening 19 ‡ Estimate for HTLV-I/II 19 § Estimate for WNV is based on 2003 blood screening data. 6| Infrequent with leukocyte reduced components 49

For the standardization of serological tests for Lyme borreliosis (LB) in Europe, the influence of the heterogeneity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato must be assessed in detail. For this study four immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) with octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside extracts of strains PKo (Borrelia afzelii), PBi (Borrelia garinii), and PKa2 and B31 (both B. burgdorferi sensu stricto) were compared. Strains PKo, PBi, and PKa2 at the passages used for antigen preparations abundantly expressed outer surface protein C (OspC), whereas strain B31 at the passage used for antigen preparation did not express OspC. Sera (all from Germany) from 222 patients with clinically defined LB of all stages, 133 blood donors, and 458 forest workers were tested. None of the forest workers had symptoms consistent with LB at the time that the samples were collected. For IgM tests, receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated that discrimination between sera from patients and blood donors was best with strain PKo and worst with strain B31. The discriminatory abilities of the four IgG ELISAs were similar in a diagnostically reasonable specificity range (90 to 100%). More than 20% of the sera from forest workers reacted strongly in the PKo IgG ELISA (optical density value, >1.5; other assays, less than 8%). Western blots of the sera with the most discrepant ELISA results revealed almost exclusive reactivity with p17. This highly immunogenic antigen is only expressed by strain PKo. This observation might be important for the development of assays enabling discrimination between asymptomatic or previous infection and active disease.

Vector-borne viruses in Turkey: A systematic review and bibliography

Background:Nowadays, one of the main challenges of the blood transfusion organization is the procurement, distribution, and monitoring of the appropriate use of blood and its products. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Transfusion Transmitted Infections (TTIs) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV+), hepatitis B virus (HBV+), and hepatitis C virus (HCV+), and also to determine the relationship between the prevalence of Transfusion Transmitted Infections and characteristics of Infected blood donors, which can be useful in the selection of blood donors. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on all blood donors in Kerman Province during five years (from March 2014 to February 2019). Individuals whose initial test and supplementary test results were positive, were considered as definitely positive. Chi-square test was used to investigate the relationship between measured factor and outcome. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20. Statistically significant value was considered at P≤0.05. Results: After confirmatory tests, it was revealed that 500 cases were infected with one of the three blood-borne viruses of HIV+, HBs+, and HCV+. Considering a 95% confidence interval, the prevalence of HIV+, HBs+, and HCV+ was, 0.0006%, 0.1%, and 0.04%, respectively. There was a significant relationship between the prevalence of infections and age, educational status (P=0.008), and donation status (P=0.007), but there was no significant relationship between the prevalence of infections and gender and marital status (P>0.05). Conclusion: The overall prevalence of TTIs among blood donors of Kerman province was 0.14%, indicating that the prevalence of TTIs is very low, it can be due to the appropriate screening of blood donors prior to the blood donation and performing advanced screening approved by the World Health Organization. According to the results, the healthiest blood donors are regular blood donors and those with a history of blood donation.

Background Pre-donation haemoglobin (Hb) screening is among the foremost test done on blood donors to determine whether an individual is fit to donate with the intention of preventing inadvertent donation from an anaemic donor. The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) in Tanzania uses the Copper II Sulphate (CuSO4) gravimetric method to estimate haemoglobin (Hb) in blood donors. The accuracy of the copper II sulphate method for the rapid screening of prospective blood donors has been questioned because this rapid screening method may lead to false deferral of truly eligible prospective blood donors. However, this and other point-of-care method may provide false results. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 236 eligible blood donors attending BMC transfusion centre at Mwanza, Tanzania. The blood donors were asked for their consent to participate in this study from 1st May to 1st August 2024. Capillary blood samples were obtained for Hb estimation by CuSO4 and HemoCue methods, and 3mls of venous blood were also collected for Hb quantification by AHA (gold standard). Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the demographic details of the donor. Kappa statistics were used to determine the level of agreement between the two methods of Hb estimation. Results The median age of the study participants was 30 years (IQR: 25-36). The proportion of false eligible donors was 5.5%, and false deferral donors were 2.3% using the CuSO4 gravimetric method. The specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values, and Kappa agreement for CuSO4 were 53.8%, 94.7%, 93.8%, 58.3%, and 0.51, respectively. In contrast, the specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values, and Kappa agreement for HemoCue were 63.6%, 97.9%, 96%, 77.7%, and 0.67, respectively. Conclusion. The current study revealed that, the performance of the CuSO4 gravimetric method is relatively poor, with a high proportion of false eligible donors than the HemoCue method. These findings warrant further studies to evaluate the quality control measures for CuSO4 gravimetric method and explore alternative point-of-care methods for Hb estimation among blood donors in similar resource limited-settings.