Serum Neopterin: A Potential Marker for Screening Blood Donors

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Hematology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) pose a significant risk to blood recipients.
• Routine screening methods may not detect all infectious agents.
• Neopterin, a marker of cellular immune activation, has shown potential in disease detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine serum neopterin levels in local blood donors.
• To investigate the association between neopterin levels and TTIs.
• To evaluate the utility of neopterin assay in enhancing blood safety.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional observational study involving 174 blood donors in Karachi, Pakistan.
• Blood donors were screened for TTIs using standard procedures.
• Serum neopterin levels were measured using ELISA kits.
• Data analysis included ANOVA and chi-square tests.

Main Results:

• Serum neopterin levels were significantly higher in disease-positive blood donors (15.10 ±4.93 nmol/l) compared to disease-negative donors (6.23 ±2.19 nmol/l) (p=0.001).
• Elevated neopterin indicates a higher likelihood of infection.

Conclusions:

• Neopterin assay can detect certain transfusion-transmissible viral diseases missed by routine screening.
• Incorporating neopterin testing in blood banks can significantly reduce the risk of TTIs.
• This approach enhances the safety of blood transfusions in the studied population.