Occult hepatitis B infections among blood donors in Lao PDR

• Main Authors: Jutavijittum P., Andernach I.E., Yousukh A., Samountry B., Samountry K., Thammavong T., Keokhamphue J., Toriyama K., Muller C.P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84890794830&partnerID=40&md5=a4b7654214badee4668b6e80c1c24b6d; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23931585; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/4143
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

Background and Objectives: In Lao People's Democratic Republic, hepatitis B virus is highly endemic. However, blood donations are only screened for HBsAg, leaving a risk of transmission by HBsAg-negative occult infected donors. Here, we characterized first-time blood donors to assess prevalence of hepatitis B virus infections and occult infected donors. Materials and Methods: Sera were screened for HBsAg, HBeAg and anti-HBs, anti-HBc and anti-HBe antibodies. Occult HBV infections (OBIs) were assessed in HBsAg-negative sera by PCR, and sera of HBsAg positive and occult infected donors were phylogenetically characterized. Results: 9·6% of the donors were HBsAg positive, and 45.5% were positive for at least one of the hepatitis B virus serum markers. More than 40% HBsAg carriers were HBeAg positive, with HBeAg seroconversion occurring around 30 years of age. Furthermore, 10·9% of HBsAg-negative, anti-HBc and/or anti-HBs-positive donors were occult infected with hepatitis B virus. Thus, at least 3·9% of blood donations would potentially be unsafe, but hepatitis B virus DNA copy numbers greatly varied between donors. Conclusion: In Lao People's Democratic Republic, a sizable proportion of HBsAg-negative and anti-HBc antibody-positive blood donations are potentially DNA positive and infective for hepatitis B. © 2013 International Society of Blood Transfusion.