Seroprevalence of Anti-HIV-1, Anti-HIV-2, Hepatitis B Surface Antigen, and Anti-HCV in Eye Donors in a Tertiary Eye Hospital, Chennai, India, in the Past 13 years (2005-2017).

PURPOSE

To understand the seroprevalence of HIV, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in serum samples collected from eye donors between 2005 and 2017 at Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India.

METHOD

The reports of 7136 eye donors serologically screened for antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2, HBsAg, and antibodies to HCV were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULT

Among the 7136 serum samples screened during this study period, the serum samples of 14 donors (0.20%) were reactive to HIV-1 antibodies, 78 donors (1.09%) were positive for detection of HBsAg, and 37 donors (0.52%) were positive for HCV antibodies. Of interest, coinfections of HIV-1 and HBV, and HIV-1 and HCV were detected in 2 and 1 serum sample of the eye donors, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This retrospective study indicates that there is a trend of reduction in the seropositivity for HIV, HBV, and HCV among eye donors in Chennai over the last decade.