Cytomegalovirus Seroprevalenceat Blood Bank of Zliten Teaching Hospital in Zliten, Libya

Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a ubiquitous β-herpesvirus, also known as Human Herpes Virus 5 (HHV5). It
is the largest of the human herpesviruses with a 230 kb genome encoding 165 genes. CMV is widely recognized as
an opportunistic pathogen, and has a high profile as an agent of disease in immunocompromised patients; much of
the recent research literature addresses infection in those undergoing solid organ and bone marrow transplantation.
The virus is known to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality following blood transfusion in children and
immunocompromised adults. CMV is found throughout the world among all socio-economic groups and infects
between 50% and 85% of adults by the age of 40 years. CMV infection is more widespread in developing countries
and in areas of low socio-economic conditions up to 100%. The propose of this study was to estimate CMV seroprevalence among voluntary blood donors at blood bank of Zliten teaching hospital in the city of Zliten, Libya. A
serological study was conducted on 150 blood samples from individuals (males and females). According to analyses,
94% and 4% of the specimens were found to be positive for anti-CMV IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. This
study showed that there were no statistically significant associations between the presence of antibodies and the socioeconomic factor and medical history of all participants. The findings of the study indicated that the prevalence of
cytomegalovirus among blood donors in Zliten, Libya was very high, which reflecting an alarming picture of infection especially in high risk groups and the detection of this virus it could be very helpful to reduce hazard of the vir