Incidence Of Hepatitis B Core Antibody Among Hepatitis B Negative Donors Attending the Blood Bank of University College Hospital, Ibadan

Abstract

Richard Peter Akpan, Victoria Oluwabunmi Akpan and Patricia Adedoyin Fadimu

This research focuses on detecting the presence of Hepatitis B Core Antibody (HBcAb) in Hepatitis B surface anti- gen-negative donors attending the blood bank of University College Hospital, Ibadan. The study aims to explore the association between HBcAb incidence and the demographic characteristics of the participants, as well as identify potential risk factors for Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection. A total of 300 donors, who tested negative for Hepatitis B surface antigen through rapid screening, were included in the study. Venous blood samples were collected from these donors and subjected to both Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (HBsAg ELI- SA) and Hepatitis B Core Antibody Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (HBcAb ELISA) screening. Demographic information was obtained from the donors through verbal and written methods using a structured questionnaire. The results revealed that out of the 300 donors, 85 (28.3%) tested positive for HBcAb, and 4 (1.3%) tested positive for HBsAg. The study also found that donors without previous vaccination against HBV were about three times more likely to be positive for HBcAb compared to donors with previous vaccination (OR=2.971). Similarly, donors who had shared sharp objects with others were about two times more likely to be positive for HBcAb compared to those who did not share sharp objects before (OR=2.0). Additionally, donors who had not been screened for Hepatitis B virus before were about two times more likely to be positive for HBcAb compared to those who had been screened previously (OR=2.0). Interestingly, no significant association was found between the donors' HBcAb status and their demographic data, contrary to findings from other studies. In conclusion, the incidence of HBcAb among Hepatitis B surface antigen-negative donors in this study was high. The researchers advocate for adopting HBcAb testing, in addition to HBsAg testing, as mandatory screening tests for donated units of blood in the study area and potentially in other blood bank laboratories.

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