Abstract

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Hepatitis refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver. It is commonly caused by a viral infection, but there are other possible causes of hepatitis. This study sought to determine the prevalence of Occult hepatitis B virus infection in previously screened blood from blood banks in Kaduna metropolis. The method involved collection of 2.0 ml of blood from donor’s pilot sample and re-testing the blood by another rapid test kit, Lab ACON (Hangzhou Biotest Biotech Co. Ltd. China). Those found negative were then tested for HBV-DNA by PCR. The PCR product was Sequenced using Sanger’s method to determine its variant. Structured questionnaire was also administered to blood bank facilities for the study. The result showed that all blood banks used employed rapid test kit method only for donors screening. There was a prevalence of 0.5% Occult hepatitis B virus infection in previously screened blood from blood banks in Kaduna metropolis. Statistical measure using Chi – square to compare the difference between use of Rapid test strip method and the PCR method shows that there is no significant difference at P < 0.01, but the PCR method is more sensitive than the rapid test strip method. Blast of the sequence shows 92% identity to Hepatitis B V2. Occult HBV infection exists in previously screened blood from blood banks in Kaduna metropolis and the use of rapid test kit alone for screening prospective donors will not eliminate the risk of HBV transmission in blood transfusion. Blood donor samples in Kaduna state should be tested for OBI by Nucleic acid testing (NAT) prior to transfusion to minimize the HBV infection risk.

Keywords: Blood banks, Hepatitis B virus, Kaduna, NAT, Occult, Rapid test