Seroprevalence of Syphilis and Hepatitis C Virus Coinfection among Blood Donors Attending Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano-Nigeria
Khadijah Abdullahi Saleh
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, College of Natural and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bayero University, Kano State, Nigeria.
Yusuf Danasabe Jobbi
Department of Haematology, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State, Nigeria.
Ibrahim Yusuf
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, College of Natural and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bayero University, Kano State, Nigeria.
Umar Mustapha *
Division of Microbiology, Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
Azeezat Bolanle Adetokun
Department of Haematology, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State, Nigeria.
Dauda Balarabe Musa
Department of Haematology, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State, Nigeria.
Danjuma Faiza Muhammad
Division of Microbiology, Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Blood transfusion is an important component of patients management, as it saves millions of life each year, but it also serves as a vehicle for transmission of blood-pathogens such as hepatitis C virus and syphilis as a result World Health Organization has recommended that all blood samples should be screened for transfusion transmissible infections prior to transfusion. Therefore this was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and socio-demographic distribution of Hepatitis C virus and Syphilis among blood donors in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. This is a cross sectional study of blood donors presented at the donor clinic of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano between July and September 2018. A total of 90 blood samples were collected from voluntary and family replacement donors, aged between 18-57 years, the collected samples were screened for anti-Treponema pallidum antibodies using a rapid diagnostic kits and were also screened for the presence of anti-HCV and anti-Treponema pallidum antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. All of the total 90 (100%) donors screened were males. Family replacement and voluntary donors were of 76 (84.4%) and 14(15.6%) donors respectively. The overall seroprevalence of HCV and syphilis was 7.8% (5.6% and 2.2% for HCV and syphilis respectively using ELISA test). Prevalence of 1.3% was found for syphilis using a rapid diagnostic kit. Therefore critical screening of blood donors is of prime importance because they serve as an asymptomatic reservoir and a potential source of transmission of these infections.
Keywords: Hepatitis C virus, syphilis, blood transfusion, ELISA, blood donors.