Significance of detecting anti-HBc among Egyptian male blood donors negative for HBsAg*

Aim: To study the seroprevalence of anti-HBc. The relationship between anti-HBc positivity and the presence of circulating HBV among healthy blood donors negative for HBsAg will be helpful to decide whether supplemental testing may bring additional safety to blood products. Material and methods: A total of 1026 serum samples collected from HBsAg-negative Egyptian healthy male donors were tested for the presence of anti-HBc (both IgM and IgG types) using the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Anti-HBc-positive samples were subjected to real-time polymerase chain reaction to confirm the presence of HBV DNA. Results: Of the 1026 samples tested, 80 (7 center dot 8%) blood samples were found to be reactive to anti-HBc. Of those, HBV DNA was detected in five of the samples (6 center dot 25%). The levels of detected viraemia were variable among the five donors. Conclusion: This study shows the insufficient effectiveness of HBsAg screening in protecting blood recipients from HBV infection. Inclusion of anti-HBc testing should be considered in the screening of blood donors.