Screening of Syphilis Using the Reverse Algorithm and its Trends Among Healthy/Asymptomatic Blood Donors: A Regional Transfusion Centre Study from Northern Pakistan

Tahir Ghafoor; Nargis Sabir; Asad Mahmood; Rehan Lodhi; Muhammad Ali Rathore; Sarah Fatimah

doi:10.51253/pafmj.v74i2.10260

Authors

Tahir Ghafoor Department of Microbiology, Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi Pakistan
Nargis Sabir Department of Microbiology, Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi Pakistan
Asad Mahmood Department of Hematology, Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi Pakistan
Rehan Lodhi Department of Hematology, Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi Pakistan
Muhammad Ali Rathore Department of Virology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi Pakistan
Sarah Fatimah Department of Hematology, Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v74i2.10260

Keywords:

Blood donor, Blood screening, Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay (CMIA), Rapid plasma retin (RPR), Syphilis, Transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs)

Abstract

Objective: To determine the syphilis trends by using the reverse algorithm in healthy/asymptomatic blood donors from Northern Pakistan.

Study Design: Perspective longitudinal study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiology, Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion (AFIT), Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jan to Sep 2022.

Methodology: After taking a complete history from potential donors, an appointed blood bank doctor performed a general physical examination. Potential donors’ blood samples were tested for syphilis by the Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay (CMIA) method followed by reflexively testing of CMIA reactive blood samples with Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR), and results were interpreted as positive or negative.

Results: A total of 56122 donors donated blood over nine months, including 55742(99.3%) males and 380(0.7%) females. Blood donors ranging from 18-65 years with a mean age of 28.82±7.1 were included in the study. Out of 56122 blood donor samples submitted, 487(0.87%) turned out to be syphilis positive by CMIA method, comprising 485(99.59%) males and 02(0.41%) females. Of 487 CMIA-positive serum samples, 216(44.3%) were RPR-positive, all male donors.

Conclusion: A higher latent syphilis trend was observed in replacement non-voluntary young male donors between 18 and 40 years of age. The majority of the syphilis positives donors were male, while females made up a negligible percentage.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

WHO model lists of essential medicines. World Health Organization; 2019. [Internet] Available at: https://www.who.int/medicines/publications/essentialmedicines/en (Accessed on September 25, 2022)

Ehsan H, Wahab A, Shafqat MA, Sana MK, Khalid F, Tayyeb M, et al. A systematic review of Transfusion Transmissible Infections among Blood Donors and Associated Safety Challenges in Pakistan. Blood 2020; 136(1): 26-28.

https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2020-137088

Saqlain N, Ahmed N, Ahmed A, Hareem S. Blood donation; knowledge, attitude and beliefs of the female attendants. Professional Med J 2017; 24(12): 1806–1811.

https://doi.org/10.17957/TPMJ/17.4003

Zaheer HA, Waheed U, Nasir K. Safe Blood Transfusion Programme Annual Report-2019. 2019. [Internet] Available at: https://www.sbtp.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Final-Report-2019 (Accessed on September 25, 2022)

Muazzam A, Javed S. Predictors of caregiver’s burden: interplay of physical and emotional health and perceived hope in children with thalassemia and hemophilia. Pak J Soci Clin Psychol 2013; 11(2): 36.

Gardella C, Marfin AA, Kahn RH, Swint E, Markowitz LE. Persons with early syphilis identified through blood or plasma donation screening in the United States. J Infect Dis 2002; 185(4): 545-549. https://doi.org/10.1086/338829

Van-der Sluis JJ, Ten Kate FJ, Vuzevski VD, Kothe FC, Aelbers GM, Van Eijk RV, et al. Transfusion syphilis, survival of Treponema pallidum in stored donor blood. II. Dose dependence of experimentally determined survival times. Vox Sang. 1985; 49(6): 390-399.

World Health Organization. Screening donated blood for transfusion – transmissible infections, 2010 Guidelines. [Internet]. Available at: http://www.who.int/bloodsafety/ScreeningDonatedBloodforTransfusion (Accessed on September 30, 2022)

Safe Blood Transfusion Programme, Pakistan. National Blood Policy and Strategic Framework 2014 20.[Internet]. Available at: http://sbtp.gov.pk/wp content/uploads/2019/06/nbp nsf 2014 20 final 2 (Accessed on September 30, 2022)

Ali SA, Donahue RM, Qureshi H, Vermund SH. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C in Pakistan: prevalence and risk factors. Int J Infect Dis 2009; 13(1): 9–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2008.06.019

Report on Global Sexually Transmitted Infection Surveillance 2018. Licence: CC BY NC SA 3.0 IGO. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. [Inernet] Available at: https://www.who.int/ reproductive health/publications/stis surveillance 2018/en (Accessed on September 30, 2022)

Ehsan H, Wahab A, Shafqat MA, Sana MK, Khalid F, Abdullah SM, et al. A Systematic Review of Transfusion-Transmissible Infections Among Blood Donors and Associated Safety Challenges in Pakistan. J Blood Med 2020; 11: 405-420.

https://doi.org/10.2147/JBM.S277541

Waheed U, Khan H, Satti HS, Ansari MA, Malik MA, Zaheer HA, et al Transfusion transmitted infections among blood donors of a teaching hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan. Ann Pak Inst Med Sci 2012; 8(4): 236-239.

Waheed U, Saba N, Wazeer A, Arshad M, Zaheer HA. Global J Transfus Med 2020; 5(1).

Arshad A, Borhany M, Anwar N, Naseer I, Ansari R, Boota S, et al. Prevalence of transfusion transmissible infections in blood donors of Pakistan. BMC Hematol 2016; 16: 27.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12878-016-0068-2

Elyamany G, Al Amro M, Pereira WC, Alsuhaibani O. Prevalence of Syphilis among Blood and Stem Cell Donors in Saudi Arabia: An Institutional Experience. Electron Physician 2016; 8(8): 2747-2751. htpps://doi.org/10.19082/2747

Kane MA, Bloch EM, Bruhn R, Kaidarova Z, Murphy EL. Demographic determinants of syphilis seroprevalence among U.S. blood donors, 2011-2012. BMC Infect Dis 2015; 15: 63.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-015-0805-3

Drago F, Cogorno L, Ciccarese G, Strada P, Tognoni M, Rebora A, et al. Prevalence of syphilis among voluntary blood donors in Liguria region (Italy) from 2009 to 2013. Int J Infect Dis 2014; 28: 45-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2014.04.008

Vera L, Milka D, Nurith SL, Eilat S. Prevalence and Incidence of Syphilis among Volunteer Blood Donors in Israel. J Blood Transfus 2014; 154048. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/154048

Okoroiwu HU, Okafor IM, Asemota EA, Okpokam DC. Seroprevalence of transfusion-transmissible infections (HBV, HCV, syphilis and HIV) among prospective blood donors in a tertiary health care facility in Calabar, Nigeria; an eleven years evaluation. BMC Public Health 2018; 18(1): 645.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5555-x

Quintas E, Cogle AC, Dias CC, Sebastiao A. Prevalence of Syphilis in Blood Donors in Angola from 2011 to 2016. Clin Med Rep 2018; 2: 1-4. https://doi.org/10.15761/CMR.1000119

Bisseye C, Sanou M, Nagalo BM, Kiba A, Compaoré TR, Tao I, et al. Epidemiology of syphilis in regional blood transfusion centres in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Pan Afr Med J 2013; 16: 69.

https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2013.16.69.2767