Seroprevalence and detection of Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) among healthy blood donors residing in Qatar

Hadeel T Zedan; Alaa Elkhider; Asalet Hicazi; Fathima Amanullah; Duaa W Al-Sadeq; Parveen B Nizamuddin; Farah M Shurrab; Maria K Smatti; Asmaa A Althani; Laith J Abu Raddad; Gheyath K Nasrallah; Hadi M Yassine

doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2024.102590

Seroprevalence and detection of Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) among healthy blood donors residing in Qatar

J Infect Public Health. 2024 Dec;17(12):102590. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2024.102590. Epub 2024 Nov 7.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Biomedical Research Center, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar; Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Biomedical Research Center, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Biomedical Research Center, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ Biomedical Research Center, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁹ Biomedical Research Center, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar; Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁰ Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹¹ Biomedical Research Center, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar; Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹² Biomedical Research Center, QU Health, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39549536
DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2024.102590

Abstract

Background: Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is a critical causative agent behind Kaposi sarcoma (KS), an oncogenic disease with profound consequences in immunocompromised individuals. Studies suggested HHV-8 seroprevalence in healthy populations is uncommon, but comprehensive investigations within the Middle East region remain scarce. This study aimed to bridge this knowledge gap by meticulously assessing HHV-8 seroprevalence among healthy blood donors in Qatar, leveraging serological methodologies and PCR.

Methods: We used sera samples collected from 621 healthy blood donors (median age = 36 years, IQR 30-43) from different nationalities residing in Qatar, mainly from the MENA region and Southeast Asia. All sera samples were tested for total anti-HHV-8 IgG antibodies using ELISA. The presence of lytic HHV-8 antibodies was confirmed by an immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Further, HHV-8 DNA was tested and quantitated by qRT-PCR.

Results: ELISA detected anti-HHV-8 IgG total antibodies in 6.9 % [43/621, 95 %CI 5.2-9.2] of the tested samples. Subsequent testing by IFA revealed that 14 % [6/43, 95 %CI 3.6-24.3] of these anti-HHV-8 IgG were classified as HHV-8 lytic antibodies. This suggests that 0.97 % [6/621, 95 %CI 0.2-1.7] of these donors had a recent or ongoing active infection and viral replication. Only one seronegative Qatari blood donor had detectable HHV-8 DNA in his blood. No significant difference was observed between HHV-8 seropositivity and the demographic characteristics of the donors.

Conclusion: Our study showed that HHV-8 prevalence in Qatar aligns closely with global reports. Moreover, our findings raise considerations regarding HHV-8's potential transmission via transfusion, which suggests the value of routine HHV-8 screening, particularly for immunocompromised patients vulnerable to KS.

Keywords: Blood donors; ELISA; HHV-8; IFA; PCR; Seroprevalence.

MeSH terms

Adult
Antibodies, Viral* / blood
Blood Donors* / statistics & numerical data
DNA, Viral* / blood
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay*
Female
Healthy Volunteers
Herpesviridae Infections* / epidemiology
Herpesviridae Infections* / virology
Herpesvirus 8, Human* / immunology
Herpesvirus 8, Human* / isolation & purification
Humans
Immunoglobulin G / blood
Male
Middle Aged
Qatar / epidemiology
Sarcoma, Kaposi / blood
Sarcoma, Kaposi / epidemiology
Sarcoma, Kaposi / virology
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Young Adult

Substances

Antibodies, Viral
DNA, Viral
Immunoglobulin G