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Related Factors of Syphilis Positive Rate in Blood Donors During the COVID-19 Epidemic
Song-Xing Wang1,2, Li-Yan Sun3, Qiong Yu2
1Clinical Laboratory, The Third People's Hospital of Longgang District, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Syphilis rates in Shenzhen blood donors fluctuated with donor characteristics and COVID-19. The pandemic influenced donor demographics, leading to a decrease in syphilis prevalence among female and repeat donors in 2020.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Syphilis infections pose a continuous threat to blood transfusion safety in Shenzhen, China.
- The emergence of COVID-19 in 2020 impacted the prevalence of syphilis among blood donors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in syphilis prevalence among blood donors in Shenzhen from 2013 to 2020.
- To investigate the influence of donor characteristics and the COVID-19 pandemic on syphilis rates.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 839,161 blood samples collected between 2013 and 2020.
- Screening using ELISA, confirmed by Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) and toluidine red unheated serum tests (TRUST).
- Statistical analysis using the chi-square test.
Main Results:
- Syphilis prevalence varied significantly by age, education, region, and donation history (P<0.001).
- In 2020, repeat donors outnumbered first-time donors, and highly educated donors became more prevalent.
- The lowest syphilis reactive and positive rates were observed in 2020, with significant decreases in prevalence among females and repeat donors compared to 2019 (P<0.01).
Conclusions:
- Syphilis prevalence in blood donors is linked to donor demographics and the COVID-19 epidemic.
- COVID-19 potentially affected syphilis prevalence by altering blood donor composition and impacting specific donor groups like females and repeat donors.
Background:
In Shenzhen of China, the continuous increase of syphilis infections threatens the safety of blood transfusion. In 2020, COVID-19 was discovered and spread rapidly around the world, and affected the prevalence of syphilis among blood donors.
Methods:
From 2013 to 2020, there were 839,161 blood samples collected in the Shenzhen Blood Center. Blood samples were screened by ELISA tests and confirmed by the TPPA (Treponema pallidum particle agglutination) tests and the TRUST (toluidine red unheated serum tests). All data was analyzed by the chi-square test.
Results:
From 2013 to 2020, the positive rate of syphilis among blood donors varied significantly among individuals in different ages, educational backgrounds, regions, and blood donation histories (P<0.001). In 2020, It was the first time that there were more repeat blood donors than first-time blood donors and more blood donors with a higher education level than those with a lower education level, and the lowest reactive and positive rate of syphilis among blood donors was observed. Compared to 2019, the prevalence of syphilis among female and repeat blood donors decreased significantly in 2020 (P<0.01).
Conclusion:
The prevalence of syphilis in blood donors is related to the characteristics of blood donors (in addition to gender) and the COVID-19 epidemic. COVID-19 can affect the prevalence of syphilis among blood donors by influencing the composition of blood donors and the number of syphile-positive donors in certain blood donors, including female and repeat blood donors.
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