title: [Distribution of serum Australia antigen (HBs) in a group of Apulian blood donors according to sex and age].
abstract: 3183 sera from healthy adults, volunteer blood donors (18-65-year aged) have been tested by a commercial ria (ausria II Abbott), for detection of HBsAg. The frequency of Australia antigen wsa found to be 5.2% (168/3183) in all sera, 6.3% in male and 3.5% in female donors, with differences statistically significant (p less than 0.01). In male donors, the prevalence was highest in the first half of the life (18-40 years)(7.0%) than in the second half (41-65 years) (3.7%), and the difference was also statistiically significant (p less than 0.05). In female donors the HBs Ag frequency was 4.2% and 2.2% repectively for the first and the second half of the life, but the difference was not statistically significant. Possible epidemiological significances were discussed.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001782:Blood Donors; D003378:Counterimmunoelectrophoresis; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000382:microbiology; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens
vernacular_title: Distribuzione per gruppi di eta' e sesso dell'antigenemia Australia (HBs) in un gruppo di donatori di sangue pugliesi