Evaluation of Hepatitis Delta Presence in HBsAg Pozitive Blood Donors

Öz

ABSTRACT Objective: Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) is a small and defective ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus that can infect humans through parenteral transmission. It replicates within liver cells using the Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in the presence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). In individuals with existing HBV infection, HDV can either cause coinfection simultaneously with HBV or superinfection after an established HBV infection, potentially exacerbating liver damage caused by HBV. This study aims to screen blood donors who tested positive for HBsAg—a marker of HBV infection—for Anti-HDV, a serological marker of HDV, and to investigate the coexistence of these two viruses. The findings are expected to contribute significantly to both transfusion safety and surveillance of HDV prevalence in the general population. Methods: Blood samples from 88 donors—among 70,542 who donated blood at Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital Blood Center and tested positive for HBsAg—were included in the study. Anti-HDV screening was performed using a commercially available ELISA-based test kit. In cases where the Anti-HDV S/Co values were close to the positivity threshold and deemed suspicious, HDV RNA was further investigated using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method for confirmation. Results: Anti-HDV was found to be non-reactive (negative) in all samples based on the screening test. Although all results were interpreted as negative, those with S/Co values near the cutoff were considered suspicious and subjected to confirmation testing with HDV RNA, which also yielded negative results in all samples. Conclusion: Although all samples in this study tested negative, the fact that HDV can be transmitted via blood highlights the importance of screening for HDV, particularly in individuals with HBV positivity. Such screening could significantly contribute to understanding the seroprevalence of HDV, which remains endemic in our country.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis Delta
• Blood Banking
• Viral Hepatitis

HBsAg Pozitif Kan Donörlerinde Hepatit Delta Varlığının Değerlendirilmesi

Öz

Amaç: Hepatit Delta virüsü (HDV), insanlara parenteral yolla bulaşan, Hepatit B virüsü (HBV) varlığında Hepatit B yüzey antijenini (HBsAg) kullanarak karaciğer hücreleri içerisinde çoğalabilen ve enfeksiyona neden olabilen küçük ve defektif bir ribonükleik asit (RNA) virüsüdür. İnsanlarda var olan HBV enfeksiyonu sonrası süperenfeksiyon veya HBV ile aynı anda koenfeksiyon yaparak hastalık oluşmasına katkı sağlayabilir veya HBV’nin oluşturduğu karaciğer hasarını daha da şiddetlendirebilir. Yapılmış olan bu çalışmada HBV varlığı HBsAg saptanması sonucu gösterilmiş kan bağışçılarının kanlarında HDV’nin bir belirteci olan Anti-HDV’nin taranması ve bu iki virüsün birlikteliğinin araştırılması amaçlanmıştır. . Elde edilecek bulguların, hem kan transfüzyonu güvenliği açısından hem de HDV’nin toplumdaki yaygınlığının izlenmesi açısından önemli katkılar sağlayacağı öngörülmektedir. Yöntem: Çalışmaya Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Kan Merkezi’ne kan bağışı yapmış 70542 bağışçı arasından HBsAg pozitifliği saptanmış olan 88 bağışçının kan örneği dahil edilmiştir. yarışmacı ELISA prensipli ticari test kiti ile Anti-HDV taraması yapılmıştır. Anti-HDV S/Co değeri şüpheli çıkan kişilerde ise doğrulama amaçlı olarak reverse transkriptaz polimeraz zincir tepkimesi (RT PCR) metoduyla HDV RNA araştırılmıştır. Bulgular: Uygulanan tarama testi sonucu tüm kan örneklerinde Anti-HDV non-reaktif (negatif) olarak saptanmıştır. Bu test sonrasında sonucu negatif olarak yorumlansa da okuma değeri pozitiflik sınırına yaklaşmış olan değerler şüpheli olarak kabul edilmiş ve HDV RNA testyle doğrulama işlemine tabi tutulmuştur, fakat bu doğrulama testinde de tüm örneklerden negatif sonuç alınmıştır. Sonuç: Bu çalışmaya dahil edilen örneklerde tüm sonuçlar negatif bulunsa da HDV’nin kanla bulaşabilen bir etken olduğunun göz önüne alınması ve özellikle HBV pozitifliği bulunmuş kişilerde HDV taramasının da yapılmasının ülkemizde endemik bir hastalık olan HDV’nin seroprevalansında önemli bir etkisi olacağı düşünülmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Hepatit B
• Hepatit Delta
• Kan Bankacılığı
• Viral Hepatit

Kaynakça

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