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Seroprevalence of parvovirus BI9 antibody in blood donors and sickle cell disease patients at Lagos university teaching hospital (LUTH): a comparative study

MC Iheanacho, SA Akanmu, B Nwogoh

 

Abstract

Introduction: Parvovirus B19 (PVB19) is a DNA virus transmissible by blood transfusion. It is a major cause of aplastic crisis especially in chronic haemolytic anaemic patients such as sickle cell disease patients.
Objective: The study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of PVB19 in blood donors and sickle cell anaemia (SCA) patients and to evaluate its association with blood transfusion in SCA patients.
Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos Nigeria. Three hundred participants, consisting of 150 voluntary blood donors and 150 sickle cell anaemia subjects were enrolled into the study. Seroprevalence of parvovirus was determined using ELISA kits for IgG and IgM anti-PVB19 antibodies by Immuno-Biological Laboratories, (IBL) inc. Minneapolis, USA. Results was analyzed with SPSS 11 software and presented in tables. Fishers Exact test, Chi-square and student T-test were used as appropriate to compare variables between both groups. P-values <0.05 were considered significant.
Results: Ninety nine (66%) blood donors were positive for anti-PVB19 IgG antibody while ninety two (61.3%) sickle cell patients were positive. Two (1.3%) blood donors were positive anti-PVB19 IgM antibodies while 8 (5.3%) SCD patients were positive for anti-PVB19 IgM antibodies. There was no significant difference in the seroprevalence of IgG and IgM antiPVB19 virus in both groups. There was no association of parvovirus seroprevalence with blood transfusion.
Conclusion: The study has shown a high seroprevalence of IgG anti-PVB19 antibodies in both blood donors and SCA patients. Therefore routine screening for parvovirus infection for donor blood is not justified. However seronegative SCA patients who require blood transfusion should have the blood screened for parvovirus to reduce the risk of associated aplastic crisis.

Key words: Seroprevalence, parvovirus B19, blood donors, sickle cell anaemia

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Seroprevalence of parvovirus BI9 antibody in blood donors and sickle cell disease patients at Lagos university teaching hospital LUTH a comparative study

 

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Risk factors for Hepatitis C virus antibody seropositivity among children with sickle cell anaemia in Ilorin, Nigeria

CE Onuchukwu, A Ojuawo, SK Ernest

 

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis C is an infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) resulting to a chronic hepatitis. Chronic HCV infection constitutes a serious public health challenge in Nigeria where donor blood is not routinely screened for HCV. Patients with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) are considered a subset of the population at higher
risk of acquiring the virus, due to their frequent needs for transfusion of blood and its products. Other risk factors like scarification markings, tattooing, and circumcision also predispose children to acquiring this infection. However, the magnitude of HCV infection has not been adequately measured in our general population and specific data on HCV in SCA patients are scanty, hence a prospective case controlled study to determine the risk factors that predispose to the acquisition of hepatitis C Virus infection.
Objective: To determine the risk factors for Hepatitis C Virus Antibody Seropositivity among transfused children with SCA in Ilorin.
Subjects and Method: Eighty two transfused SCA children aged 6 months to 14 years were recruited consecutively from February 2008 to January 2009 while eighty four non transfused SCA children of the same age range recruited over the same period served as controls. Hepatitis C virus Antibody screening was done using a second generation ELISA method. Information on the study population were collected by use of a pretested questionnaire by the investigator.
Results: There was a positive correlation between numbers of units of blood transfused and seropositivity. Those who had three or more units of blood had a prevalence rate of more than 50%. There was a strong correlation between seropositivity and scarification marks in both subjects and controls (p=0.001 and 0.02 respectively). Other plausible risk factors for hepatitis C infection tested in this study included circumcision and sharing of clippers which showed no statistically significant difference. No cases of tattooing, drug abuse, needle sharing or sexual activities were seen in this study.
Conclusion: Transfused SCA patients belong to a high risk group for hepatitis C virus infection compared to the non transfused population. The risk of acquisition increases with higher number of transfusions and scarifications marks.

Key words: Hepatitis C virus, Sickle cell anaemia, Risk factors, Blood transfusion.

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Risk factors for Hepatitis C virus antibody seropositivity among children with sickle cell anaemia in Ilorin, Nigeria

 

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Significance of Pyuria in the Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection in Children with Sickle Cell Anaemia in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Y Mava, SY Timothy, SB Zailani, JP Ambe

 

Abstract

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children, especially in those with sickle cell disease, who are at higher risk of infections. It will be useful to have a simple test which can be used in resource limited health facilities as a means of screening such children for UTI with the view to instituting prompt treatment. This study is carried out to determine the usefulness of significant pyuria in detecting UTI in febrile children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA). Two hundred and fifty febrile children with sickle cell anaemia that attended State Specialist Hospital and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) were prospectively studied with their consent. Urine sample was collected using standard procedure, examined for pus cells and was cultured at the Microbiology laboratory of UMTH. The study showed UTI prevalence of 26%. Significant pyuria was found to have sensitivity of 55.4%, specificity of 77.8%, the efficacy of the test was 72.0% and the test has low positive predictive value of 46.8% in detecting bacteriuria in SCA patients. The significant pyuria observed in this study support its usefulness in the diagnosis of UTI among children with SCA especially in communities having limited facilities or personnel for carrying out urine culture.

Keywords: Sickle Cell Anaemia, Bacteriuria, Pyuria

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Significance of Pyuria in the Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection in Children with Sickle Cell Anaemia in Maiduguri, Nigeria