{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T17:16:14Z","timestamp":1791566174780,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,6]],"date-time":"2026-04-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775433600000},"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 is a critical life-saving intervention, but the safety of the blood supply remains a major public health concern, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, due to the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs). This study aimed to determine the burden and correlates of bloodborne pathogens among blood donors in Muchinga Province, Zambia.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional study was conducted using records from 2,667 blood donors at the Chinsali General Hospital Blood Bank between January and December 2021. Data on demographic characteristics, donation type, and ABO\/Rhesus blood group were collected. Screening for Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV), HIV, and Syphilis was performed using the Abbott Alinity i platform. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with infection status.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The overall prevalence of TTIs among donors was 25.7% (686\/2,667). The most prevalent single infections were HBV and Syphilis 8.0% (213\/2,667), followed by HCV 7.8% (207\/2,667), and HIV 7.7% (206\/2,667), with notable co-infection rates, particularly HIV\/Syphilis (4.9%). In the composite multivariable analysis, donors with blood group O had 36% lower adjusted odds of any TTI compared to those with blood group A (AOR\u2009=\u20090.64; 95% CI: 0.52\u20130.79; p\u2009&lt;\u20090.0001) and individuals aged over 45 years had 45% higher adjusted odds of TTIs compared to those aged 16\u201324 years (AOR\u2009=\u20091.45; 95% CI: 1.04\u20132.00; p\u2009=\u20090.026). Furthermore, multivariable pathogen-specific analyses revealed distinct risk profiles: donors aged \u226545 years had significantly higher odds of syphilis (AOR\u2009=\u20092.38; 95% CI: 1.49\u20133.80; p\u2009&lt;\u20090.0001), female sex was associated with lower odds of HBV (AOR\u2009=\u20090.69; 95% CI: 0.52\u20130.93; p\u2009=\u20090.016), blood group O was protective against HCV (AOR\u2009=\u20090.49; 95% CI: 0.35\u20130.69; p\u2009&lt;\u20090.0001), and donors from Mpika district had higher odds of HIV (AOR\u2009=\u20091.82; 95% CI: 1.03\u20133.21; p\u2009=\u20090.037).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study highlights a substantial burden of TTIs among blood donors and identifies blood group O as a potential protective factor, suggesting a potential biological basis that requires further study. Strengthened donor screening and public health interventions are critical to improving blood safety.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0346680","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,6]],"date-time":"2026-04-06T17:31:07Z","timestamp":1775496667000},"page":"e0346680","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["The burden and correlates of bloodborne pathogens in a Zambian Blood Donor Cohort"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Mwila","family":"Mapipo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-5418-2497","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alex","family":"Maleti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-9244-7287","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Phinnoty","family":"Mwansa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paul","family":"Daka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3765-0635","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"David","family":"Chisompola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0346680.ref001","unstructured":"Blood safety and availability. https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/blood-safety-and-availability 2025 October 12."},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0346680.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tracli.2021.01.007","article-title":"Challenges in transfusion-transmitted infection screening in Sub-Saharan Africa","volume":"28","author":"D Candotti","year":"2021","journal-title":"Transfus Clin Biol"},{"key":"pone.0346680.ref003","unstructured":"Time trend and prevalence analysis of transfusion. 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