Molecular detection and epidemiology of human pegivirus type 1 (HPgV-1) infection among blood donors in Northeastern...

The prevalence of HPgV-1 varies worldwide, with an estimated 750 million infections and about 3.1% of blood donations testing positive. However, it is not routinely screened in blood banks due to its uncertain and controversial clinical relevance. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HPgV-1 RNA and to identify sociodemographic, socioeconomic and behavioral factors associated with infection among blood donors at the Hematology and Hemotherapy of Pernambuco Foundation (HEMOPE) in Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil. The prevalence of HPgV-1 RNA was 11.6% (50/430). In the univariate analysis, a higher frequency of HPgV-1 RNA positivity was observed among donors who did not use condoms, showing a statistically significant association (p = 0.019). However, no statistically significant associations were observed in the multivariate logistic regression model for the variables included in the analysis. This is the first study of the prevalence of HPgV-1 RNA among blood donors from Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil. Although no independent, statistically significant associations were identified after multivariate adjustment of the sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral variables; the findings of this study may contribute to understanding the true prevalence of HPgV-1 infection in Brazil.