The role of expanding the range of donor blood screening in the prevention of posttransfusion hepatitis B

Introduction . The legislative framework of the Russian Federation does not limit the range of tests used for detection of blood-borne infections. Screening blood donors for anti-HBc antibodies makes it possible to identify donors with potential HBV infection and prevent the transmission of the virus. The purpose of the study : to assess the prevalence of total anti-HBc and anti-HBc IgM among donors to evaluate the effectiveness of testing for additional hepatitis B markers in the Republic of Tatarstan. Materials and methods . The prevalence of HBsAg, total anti-HBc, and anti-HBc IgM among donors was analyzed based on screening results among 490,497 blood donors in 2006-2023. The results of the study . In the early 1990s, the Republic of Tatarstan had a high incidence of hepatitis B, reaching 235.4 per 100,000 population, which is 6 times higher than the incidence of hepatitis C. At the same time, the subclinical forms of hepatitis B amounted to 81.3%, which determined the introduction of additional screening of blood donors for anti-HBc antobodies. In 1994-2005, HBsAg detection rate in donors was 0.67±0.01%, with a decrease in 2006–2023 to 0.32±0.01%. In 2006–2023, total anti-HBc antibodies were detected in 2.73±0.02% of donors, their share among hepatitis B markers identified in donors was the largest and amounted to 79%. Anti-HBc IgM antibodies were detected in 0.4%±0.01% of donors (11.6% among all hepatitis B markers). The proportion of donors with HBV markers increased 5.1 times in 2006–2023 due to testing for additional HBV markers. Conclusion: Universal vaccination against HBV has reduced the incidence of hepatitis B, wich had a significant correlation with decrease in detection rates of HBV markers among donors (r=-0.8677, p<0.05). However, taking into account the presence of a large cohort of persons with subclinical or occult forms of HBV infection, the introduction of routine screening for HBc antibodies in the blood service of the Republic of Tatarstan is a reasonable decision aimed at preventing posttransfusion HBV infection.