Abstract
BACKGROUND: Efforts to curb the spread of HIV transmission through transfusion of blood and its products is still a problem because of challenge in countries using antibody-based rapid methods to detect infection during window period. Transmission of HIV through infected blood and its products accounts for approximately 10% in African region. METHODS: This study analyzed true negativity of HIV infection in blood donors screened by ELISA test based on p24 core antigen detection. Four hundred and eighty (480) blood donors initially negative for HIV antibody by rapid screening kit, Determine™ HIV-1/2 (Abbott Laboratory, IL, USA) and re-screened with Immuno Comb® II HIV 1 and 2 (Bispot kit PBS Organics and Israel 2005). The samples were further tested for the presence of HIV antibody and p24 HIV core antigen using ELISA kits (Genscreen TM ULTRA HIV Ag-Ab) following manufacturer's instructions. All donors initially tested negative for Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus. RESULT: Two (0.42%) of 480 blood donors tested positive for the p24 HIV core antigen. The two positive donors for the p24 antigen had multiple sexual partners and recent sexually transmitted infections. CONCLUSION: The association of the HIV p24 antigen with blood donation was highly significant (p = 0.000) and pose a great risk to recipients if screening of blood donor is only carried out by HIV antibody detection.