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Background and objectivesExclusion of blood donors with hepatitis B virus (HBV) core antibodies (anti-HBc) prevents transfusion-transmitted HBV infection but can lead to significant donor loss. As isolated anti-HBc positivity does not always indicate true past HBV infection, we have investigated the effectiveness of confirmatory anti-HBc testing and the representation of rare blood groups in anti-HBc-positive donors.Materials and methodsThree hundred ninety-seven HBV surface antigen-negative and anti-HBc initially reactive blood donor samples were tested by five different anti-HBc assays.ResultsEighty percentage of samples reactive in Architect anti-HBc assay were positive by the Murex assay and anti-HBc neutralization. Eleven out of 397 samples showed discordant results in supplementary testing from the Murex confirmatory test result, and five remained undetermined following extensive serological testing. Thirty-eight percentage of anti-HBc-positive donors identified as minority ethnic groups compared with 11% representation in anti-HBc-negative donors (p ConclusionUsing two anti-HBc assays effectively enabled the identification of HBV-exposed and potentially infectious donors, their deferral and potential clinical follow-up. However, the exclusion of confirmed anti-HBc-positive donors will still impact the supply of rare blood such as Ro.

Original publication

DOI

10.1111/vox.13608

Type

Journal

Vox sanguinis

Publication Date

02/2024

Addresses

Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.