Abstract:
ntroduction: Blood transfusion is an essential life-saving
intervention in the healthcare delivery. Mandatory screening of
donor units helps prevent transfusion-transmissible infections,
such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
Aim: The purpose of this study was to use Nucleic Acid-
Amplification Testing (NAAT) to screen for the presence of HIV-1
in blood-banked samples labelled as “safe for transfusion” per
serological testing algorithm.
Materials and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional
diagnostic study was conducted in May 2016 on serologically
tested donor blood units in the Koforidua Regional Hospital
blood bank. One hundred (100) donor samples were analysed
using the COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS® TaqMan® HIV-1 Qual
Test for the detection of HIV-1 RNA and proviral DNA.
Results: Of the 100 donor samples that tested sero-negative for
HIV-1 and 2 using the antibody screening kit, four (4) samples
(4%) were reactive by NAAT. Blood donors who came for
donation were only males and majority (90%) were between the
ages of 17-27 years. Additionally, all the NAAT HIV-1 positive
samples were from participants in the 17-27 year group.
Conclusion: NAAT demonstrated that a significant number of
HIV-infected individuals are misdiagnosed at Ghanaian points-
of-care. This finding has necessitated the need for inclusion
of NAAT in donor blood screening in areas prevalent for HIV-1
in Ghana, considering the risk involved in using the licensed
antibody test provided by the health authorities. In cases where
NAAT screening may not be feasible, newer tests that have
greater sensitivity compared to the FDA-licensed 3rd generation
EIA which only detects HIV antibodies can be adopted.
