Infectious pathogens in volunteer and replacement blood donors in Pakistan: a ten-year experience

Infectious pathogens in blood are a potential source of transmission of hepatitis B and C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis. The present study reviews the frequency of these infections in volunteer and replacement blood donors in Lahore, Pakistan.

Data on serologic testing of blood donors (using commercial assays) were reviewed for the years 1996-2005. Data from 2004 and 2005 were also analyzed with respect to age and type of donor (volunteer versus replacement).

The frequency of serologic evidence of various infectious pathogens ranged as follows: hepatitis B 1.46-2.99%, with a downward trend over time, hepatitis C 3.01-4.99%, HIV 0-0.06%, and syphilis 0.19-0.57%. Amongst replacement donors, younger individuals (<35 years) had lower seroprevalence of hepatitis markers as compared to older persons. Overall, volunteer donors (6.98% of all donors) had the lowest seroprevalence for the diseases.

The frequency of hepatitis C amongst Pakistani donors is the highest in the region while that of hepatitis B is declining gradually. Volunteer donors have lower frequencies of tested infections compared to replacement donors. Compared to neighboring India, syphilis occurs with a similar frequency but HIV is seen less commonly.