The Frequency of Transfusion-Transmitted Infections in Healthy Blood Donors at King Abdulaziz Hospital, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

<i>Background and Objectives</i>: Transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) impose a considerable healthcare burden globally. Despite rigorous screening protocols, these infections can still be present among apparently healthy blood donors, potentially compromising the safety of transfusion recipients. Understanding the frequency of TTIs among blood donors is crucial for ensuring a healthy blood supply and gaining insights into the epidemiology of these infections within a community. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: The main objective of this study is to determine the frequency of TTIs among healthy blood donors, aged 18 to 60 years, at King Abdulaziz Hospital in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia. Data was collected retrospectively at the blood bank center from 1 January 2023, to 31 December 2023. <i>Results</i>: There were 8831 blood donors included. Saudi participants emerged as the dominant nationality, comprising 57% of the total sample (5036 out of 8831 donors). The prevalence of TTIs among blood donors varied according to the individual markers used. The overall TTI reactivity rates were low. Anti-HBc was the most common TTI-positive marker (7.5%), followed by syphilis (0.5%), HBV NAT (0.3%), HBsAg, and anti-HCV (0.3%). On the other hand, the lowest TTI-positive markers were HIV-1/-P2 and HTLV-1/-2 (0.04%). In Saudi participants, the most prevalent TTI marker was anti-HBc with a rate of 5.8% (293 out of 5036), followed by HBsAg (0.3%), syphilis (0.3%), and HBV NAT (0.2%). <i>Conclusions</i>: The present study found that HBV outperformed other TTI markers compared to the regional reports. However, in our research and the earlier reports, the rates of seropositive patients were noticeably low for HIV, HTLV, and malaria, while the rate for syphilis was higher, particularly among non-Saudi donors. NAT assays are crucial for screening blood donations for TTIs, which can help the early detection of infections and significantly reduce serological window periods. For a precise estimation of the frequency of TTIs, large prospective multicenter studies from various regions of the KSA are required.