Strategies for hepatitis B virus screening of Polish blood donors (2005–2020)

The risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission through blood and blood components is markedly reduced through serologic testing of each donation for the presence of HBV infection markers. Testing for hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) is obligatory almost everywhere in the world. Several countries have also implemented testing for antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) and some perform HBV DNA tests, either in single donations or minipools of up to 96 donations. In countries with obligatory hepatitis B vaccination, the incidence of HBsAg-positive infections has been on the decline. Questions are therefore raised regarding the choice of optimal strategies for blood donor screening. In Poland, screening for hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) to identify HBV infected donors was initiated in 1971. Pursuant to the guidelines of the Council of Europe, the analytical sensitivity of 0.13 IU/ml is required for a HBsAg diagnostic test to detect a HBsAg-positive infection. In 2005, HBV-DNA testing was added to the panel of screening tests for further reduction of HBV transmission risk through blood and blood components. The study presents the analysis of the HBV-DNA screening tests used in Poland so far. The analysis is based on the author’s doctoral dissertation and the outcome may largely contribute to the process of determining the effectiveness of the methods used up to date and to development of an optimal panel of HBV screening tests for Polish blood donors