Difference in the distribution of e antigen among different ethnic groups in a population of blood donors.
Sensitive techniques were used to detect e antigen and the corresponding antibody (anti-e) among 368 voluntary blood donors positive for hepatitis B surface antigen in the Montreal area and 310 people living in close contact with them. Neither e nor anti-e was found in the absence of markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Among the blood donors e antigen was detected in 23 and anti-e in 313, and 32 were negative for both markers. Of the 368 blood donors 330 were of French origin and 38 from other ethnic groups. The 23 e-positive subjects were unequally distributed among the ethnic groups: only 14 (4.2%) were recruited among the French group while 9 (23.7%) were recruited among other ethnic groups (P less than 0.001). This differences among ethnic groups might be related to the vertical or horizontal mode of dissemination of HBV infection.
D000941:Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D001782:Blood Donors; D002170:Canada; D005006:Ethnicity; D005602:France / Q000208:ethnology; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000208:ethnology; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000208:ethnology
D000941:Antigens; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens