The Prevalence of Yersinia Yop-specific IgA antibodies in Iranian blood donors evaluated by specific serology and blood culture methods

The recomwell Yesinia uses YOPs (Yesinia outer membrane proteins) produced by recombinant techniques that are highly specific for the genus Yersinia. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Yesinia Yop-specific IgA antibodies in 492 healthy blood donors and make comparison between seropositivity and the presence of y.enterocolitica infection in blood donors. In the descriptive study, sera from 492 healthy Iranian blood donors were studied for Yesinia Yop-specific IgA antibodies by two different techniques, enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and western blot to determine the prevalence of Yersinia antibody. Secondly, we cultured the whole blood of Yesinia seropositive donors which has been stored in 1-6 ◦ C for 35 days. Thirdly, we compared the rate of seropositivity with the results of donors’ blood cultures. The prevalence rates of Yesinia Yop-specific IgA antibodies in Tehran healthy blood donors were 12.5% and 8.5% by EIA and Western Blot, respectively. The blood cultures of all seropositive donors were negative. Although the prevalence rate of Yesinia Yop-specific IgA antibodies in Iranian healthy blood donors was high there was no correlation whatsoever between seropositivity and donors’ bacteremia.