{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T20:47:08Z","timestamp":1786740428400,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"GN1 Sistemas e Publicacoes Ltd.","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["ABO"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Purpose: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and characterize the serological profile\nof discarded corneal donations in the coverage area of the Banco de Olhos de Londrina, through\nreverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing for COVID-19 and serological screening of\ncornea donors excluded because of positive test results. Methods: This observational retrospective\nstudy included 776 cornea donors who\u2019s serological and reverse transcription-polymerase chain\nreaction test results were processed at the Hospital of Universidade Estadual de Londrina between\nMay 2020 and 2022. The number of corneal donations and tissue utilization rates throughout the\nyears of operation of the Banco de Olhos de Londrina were also analyzed. Results: The mean donor\nage was 53.14 years; 332 donors (43%) were female, and 444 (57%) were male. Positive results\nwere identified in 15.76% of donors for hepatitis B core antibody antibodies, 0.65% for hepatitis B\nsurface antigen, 1.03% for hepatitis C antibodies, and 0.52% for human immunodeficiency virus and\nhuman T-lymphotropic v\u00edrus. Positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results for\nSARS-CoV-2 were observed in 2.7% of cases. Older adults were 2.6 times more likely to test positive\nfor SARS-CoV-2 (95% CI, 1.06-6.34) and 3.0 times more likely to test positive for hepatitis B core\nantibody (95% CI, 1.95-4.41) than younger individuals. A 75.2% reduction in corneal donations was\nobserved in 2020 compared with 2019, accompanied by a 5% increase in tissue utilization, possibly\nassociated with the effectiveness of donor screening during the pandemic. Conclusion: The COVID-19\npandemic had a profound impact on the number of corneal transplants worldwide, in Brazil, and at\nthe Banco de Olhos de Londrina because of the substantial decline in donations during this period.\nHepatitis B was the leading cause of corneal tissue discard due to positive serology in both this\nstudy and previous reports, highlighting the importance of prevention programs and improved\nvaccination coverage. Strict legislation, comprehensive serological screening, and appropriate\nprocessing of donated tissue remain essential to eliminate potential sources of infection and\nensure transplantation safety.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.5935\/0004-2749.2025-0034","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T20:12:45Z","timestamp":1786738365000},"page":"1-9","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Viral infectious characteristics of cornea donors from the Londrina eye bank: a retrospective study and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.5935","volume":"89","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5358-7154","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isadora C.","family":"Jos\u00e9","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0634-1714","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana Paula M. T.","family":"Oguido","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6978-7505","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sergio M.","family":"Borghi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-5036-7587","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silvio C\u00e9sar S.","family":"G. Filho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4215-0854","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudia R.","family":"Morgado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1784-2609","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rodolfo C.","family":"Feij\u00f3","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6745-5470","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Beatriz I.","family":"dos Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8082-5626","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Beatriz Karine Taba","family":"Oguido","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8874-9240","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro Henrique R.","family":"Cerqueira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4552-2799","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ant\u00f4nio Marcelo B.","family":"Casella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"3948","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"container-title":["Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.scielo.br\/j\/abo\/a\/FKNSv3npL6WMvxBZ8LNkG6F\/?lang=en&ilang=en","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T20:12:46Z","timestamp":1786738366000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.scielo.br\/j\/abo\/a\/FKNSv3npL6WMvxBZ8LNkG6F\/?lang=en&ilang=en"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5935\/0004-2749.2025-0034","relation":{},"ISSN":["0004-2749"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0004-2749","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026]]}}}