Detection of hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid using real-time polymerase chain reaction method in pooled-plasma samples of Turkish blood donors.

BACKGROUND: The extent and the number of routine tests performed for blood donor screening to avoid infections transmitted through blood transfusion have been gradually increasing worldwide and is determined nationally. Following the publication of the new "blood and blood components regulation", the blood banking and transfusion system is through a reorganization stage in Turkey. The national guideline including the donor screening algorithms is to be published which requires national data to be created. The aim of this study is to investigate HBV DNA in pooled plasma samples of blood donors in Turkey, which is a middle endemicity country for HBV infection. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Presence of HBV DNA was investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method in 187 pooled plasma samples prepared from 4484 blood donors, whose screening tests were found to be negative. The seropositivity for HBsAg of the blood donors in the study blood center is 2.2%. RESULTS: The rate of false-positivity of the RT-PCR method was found to be 1.6% for the mini pools and 0.04% for the individual blood donors. HBV DNA was not detected in any of the donor bloods. CONCLUSION: The hospital blood centers in Turkey still have a high proportion of first time donors and replacement donors; also seropositivity of HBsAg in Turkish blood donors is high compared to Europe and US. Our data pointed to the high false positivity rate of RT PCR method which needs to be evaluated in creating national donor screening algorithms.