{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T06:15:46Z","timestamp":1791526546099,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,31]],"date-time":"2025-10-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761868800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs), notably hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and syphilis, remain a major threat to blood safety in resource-limited settings. Ghana mainly uses rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for initial screening, which may affect the accuracy of detecting TTIs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study estimated the prevalence, identified sociodemographic and donor-type predictors of TTIs and compared the diagnostic yield of RDTs versus ELISA in a teaching hospital in the Central Region of Ghana.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This retrospective study analysed 10,152 available blood donors\u2019 records screened from January 2022 to March 2024. Fixed-site donors were initially screened using RDTs (SD Biosensor Standard Q\u00ae HBsAg\/HCV Ab, First Response\u00ae HIV 1-2.0, Advanced Quality\u2122 Syphilis) followed by confirmatory ELISA testing for RDT-non-reactive samples. Mobile donors underwent ELISA (ChemWell\u00ae FUSION analyser) testing only. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent TTI predictors.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The overall prevalence of TTIs (infection with at least one tested pathogen) was 16.5% (95% CI: 15.80-17.20; N\u2009=\u20091,675), with syphilis 8.4% (95% CI: 7.83-8.91; N\u2009=\u2009850) being the most common. Voluntary donors had a lower TTI prevalence than replacement donors (10.6% vs 19.9%, p\u2009&lt;\u20090.001). Repeat donors exhibited reduced risk of HBV (aOR: 0.254, 95% CI: 0.206-0.313, p\u2009&lt;\u20090.001), HCV (aOR: 0.734, 95% CI: 0.568-0.949, p\u2009=\u20090.018), and syphilis (aOR: 0.486, 95% CI: 0.417-0.567, p\u2009&lt;\u20090.001). However, donor type itself was not a significant predictor of TTIs after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. ELISA testing identified an additional 7.3% (95% CI: 6.67-8.01; N\u2009=\u2009422\/5,754) TTI cases among RDT non-reactive fixed-site donors (missed cases).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The high prevalence of TTIs highlights persistent blood safety challenges. Repeat donation was independently protective, reducing risks of HBV, HCV, and syphilis. To improve blood safety, it will be essential to encourage regular voluntary donations. It will also require supplementing RDTs with ELISA where feasible, and strengthening haemovigilance systems, while accounting for the cost and logistical constraints. Although NAT is the gold standard for TTI detection, nationwide implementation in Ghana is currently not feasible.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0335544","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,31]],"date-time":"2025-10-31T17:28:21Z","timestamp":1761931701000},"page":"e0335544","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Prevalence and predictors of transfusion-transmitted infections among blood donor types at a teaching hospital in Ghana: Implications for haemovigilance"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4717-6260","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alice","family":"Charwudzi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Edward 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