Seroprevalence and associated factors of Epstein-Barr virus among blood donors in Sana'a, Yemen.
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BACKGROUND: The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a widely distributed oncogenic virus that is associated with various human malignancies and autoimmune disorders. There are no data about the prevalence of EBV among healthy individuals, particularly healthy blood donors. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of EBV and associated risk factors among male blood donors in the Sana'a capital of Yemen. METHODS: This study was designed as a cross-sectional study and conducted among 200 healthy male blood donors who attended the blood donation centers over a period of one year, from June 2023 to May 2024. RESULTS: Of the 200 blood donors, 80% and 8% were positive for anti-EBV-IgG and anti-EBV-IgM, respectively. A higher rate of anti-EBV-IgG was reported at 100% and 80.7%, respectively, among those aged 50-55 years and married participants. Moreover, anti-EBV-IgM was more found among those aged 40-49 years and single participants (9.6% and 8.4%, respectively). Both anti-EBV-IgG and anti-EBV-IgM were higher among blood donors inhabiting an urban area. The majority of participants with seropositivity for anti-EBV-IgG experienced swelling of lymph nodes (93.6%), nasopharyngitis (96.4%), fever (80.3%), and fatigue (80.6%). Furthermore, the highest rates of anti-EBV IgG were found in participants who chewed Khat (80.9%), used tobacco dipping (shammah) (96.7%), received blood transfusions (81.1%), and had previous surgery (86.4%). However, only tobacco dipping (shammah) showed a statistically significant association with anti-EBV IgG seropositivity (P=0.007). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of EBV was remarkably high among the population included in the study, reflecting its widespread presence in Yemen, which potentially leads to significant clinical complications in patients with weakened immune systems. These findings emphasize the importance of ongoing epidemiological surveillance, improved routine screening procedures for EBV among blood donors, and strengthened health awareness and education programs to limit and prevent the spread of the virus. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.