Seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus among voluntary blood donors in Delhi, India

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is known to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality following blood transfusion in children and immunocompromised adults. In India, it is not mandatory to screen donated blood for CMV in blood banks. Very few studies have been conducted in India to estimate the seroprevalence of this infection in voluntary blood donors. This study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence of CMV among voluntary blood donors in Delhi, India. In this study, none of 200 donors tested positive for CMV IgM antibody, but 95% were positive for CMV IgG antibody. There was no statistically significant difference in scropositivity of CMV based on distribution of age. Of the 200 donors, 3% tested positive for HBsAg, 1% for HIV, 2% for hepatitis C virus, and 4.5% for syphilis. Since about 95% of blood donors in India are seropositive for CMV, it would seem superfluous to screen blood donors for CMV, as very few seronegative blood units would be available for transfusion. Other preventive strategies, such as leukoreduction, etc., could be more appropriate and cost-effective for the prevention of transmission of CMV through infected blood to immunosuppressed individuals.