Aim: To examine the seroprevalence of common blood infections among blood donors, which remains a major concern in transfusion medicine in Nigeria. Blood transfusion is one of the known therapeutic interventions that cut across a number of clinical disciplines. Materials and methods: The seroprevalences of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and syphilis among 280 blood donors at the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital (MMSH) were determined. The seroprevalences of the pathogens were determined with regard to age, sex, donor category, and occurrence of association pathogens. Between June and December 2008, 276 males (98.6%) and 4 females (1.4%), with an age range of 18-54 years, donated blood. Results: Tests showed that 54 (19.3%) donors had serological evidence of infection with at least one pathogen, while 8 (2.9%) had multiple infections. The seroprevalences of syphilis, HBsAg, HCV, and HIV were found to be 7.5%, 11.1%, 1.8%, and 1.4%, respectively, at the MMSH in Kano. The age group of 28-37 years had the highest rates of syphilis (8.7%), HBsAg (15.5%), and HIV (2.9%), while the age group of 18-27 years had the highest prevalence of HCV (2.5%). Conclusion: The high (19.3%) seroprevalence of transfusion-transmissible infections in blood donated at the MMSH calls for comprehensive screening of blood donors for HBsAg, HCV, HIV, and syphilis using sensitive techniques and strict selection criteria of donors. © TÜBİTAK.
