Abstract: Objective To re-evaluate the importance of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) testing for blood safety improvement after nuclear acid testing performed in Chinese BTSs. Method 498,085 blood donors were collected in Shanghai between November 2011 and July 2013, the donors were divided into two groups,sole ALT disqualified donors and qualified donors with blood donation interval of less than 365 days ．The second-time blood screening results of the donors in the two groups and the results of HBV/HCV confirmation testing among sole ALT disqualified donors group were analyzed. Results ALT disqualification rate among the sole ALT disqualified donors was 20.32%, significantly higher than that of qualified group(P< 0.01). The positive rates of HBV, HCV, HIV and syphilis were 0.13%,0.20%,0%, and 0.07%, respectively, and had no significant difference between the qualified group (P> 0.05). All HBV/HCV confirmation tests among sole ALT disqualified donors group were negative. Among all ALT disqualified donors within the two groups, no donors of negative HBV or HCV enzyme immunoassay were found to be nucleotide testing positive simultaneously. Conclusion ALT testing, due to the popular implementation of NAT testing, seems to be of no significance in ruling out of HBV and HCV window phase infection as well as HBV latent infection.

Key words: Alanine, aminotransferase, Nucleic, acid, testing, Blood, screening, Blood, safety