Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Core IgM Antibodies Among Apparently Healthy Blood Donors: An Enzyme Immunoassay-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background & objectives: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a major transfusion-transmitted infection despite routine screening for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The present study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis B core immunoglobulin M (anti-HBc IgM) antibodies among HBsAg-non-reactive blood donors using ELISA. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, 115 apparently healthy HBsAg-non-reactive blood donors were recruited from a tertiary care blood centre in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Donor demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded. Serum samples were screened for anti-HBc IgM antibodies using a commercially available ELISA kit according to the manufacturer's instructions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the study findings. Results: The mean age of the donors was 33.2 ± 7.0 years, and 97.4% were male. Blood group A (39.1%) was the most frequent ABO type, while 94.8% of donors were Rh positive. Anti-HBc IgM antibodies were detected in 9 of 115 HBsAg-non-reactive donors, yielding a seroprevalence of 7.8%, whereas 106 (92.2%) donors were non-reactive. conclusions: Detection of anti-HBc IgM antibodies among HBsAg-non-reactive blood donors suggests that exclusive HBsAg screening may not identify all potentially infectious donations. Supplementary serological screening may improve blood transfusion safety, particularly in settings where nucleic acid testing is not routinely available.