• Waleed H Mahallawi, Nadir A Ibrahim, Khalid S Alahmadi, Abdullah K Al-Harbi, Mohammed A Almughthawi, Omar A Alhazmi, Fayez H Alsehli, and Omar F Khabour.
• Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Al Madinah Al Munawarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mail. wmahallawi@taibahu.edu.sa.
• Saudi Med J. 2020 Dec 1; 41 (12): 1301-1307.

Objectives To investigate the seroprevalence of influenza viruses (A and B) among blood donors in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The present investigation was conducted between April 2019 and July 2019. Participants were healthy adults recruited from the central blood bank Al Madinah Al Munawarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels against influenza A and B were measured in serum samples using ELISA.ResultsThe results showed that 29.2% of the sample had significant concentrations of influenza A IgG antibody, whereas 38.6% had significant concentrations of influenza B IgG antibody. A strong correlation was found between the levels of influenza A and influenza B antibodies (r=0.708, p less than 0.001). The number of individuals identified as negative for influenza A IgG antibody increased with age (p less than 0.01). In addition, no correlations were identified between influenza A IgG and influenza B IgG and body mass index (BMI), (p greater than 0.05). Finally, linear regression analysis showed that the level of influenza A antibody can be predicted by age (p less than 0.05) and body mass index (BMI) (p less than 0.05).Conclusion Approximately one-third of Saudi Arabian adults presented significant levels of influenza A and B antibodies in our study. Demographic factors, including age and BMI, might contribute to influenza A antibody levels.

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