High prevalence of hepatitis B, C and delta virus infections among blood donors in Mongolia.
Serum samples obtained from 289 first-time and 114 repeat donors at the Blood Center of Mongolia (MBC) were tested for serological and molecular markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infections. Among the 403 blood donors, 33 (8.2%), 21 (5.2%), and 27 (6.7%) tested positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and/or HBV DNA, HCV RNA, and HDV RNA, respectively. Collectively, 55 donors were viremic for one or more of these viruses, and included 54 first-time donors (18.7%) and 1 repeat donor (0.9%) (P < 0.0001). One discrepant case with HBsAg detectable only at MBC was negative for HBsAg, HBV DNA and anti-HBc in this study. Four donors who were HCV-viremic in this study were negative for anti-HCV by the MBC method. Further efforts to increase the sensitivity and specificity of the currently-used tests are urgently required in Mongolia. Three donors who were positive for anti-HBc and anti-HDV but negative for HBsAg, had both HBV DNA and HDV RNA. This suggests that introduction of a new anti-HDV serological test is useful for not only HDV screening but also HBV screening of anti-HBc-positive, HBsAg negative donors, considering a possibility of viral interference by coexisting HDV.
Tsatsralt-Od
B
B
Division of Virology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi-Ken, Japan.
Takahashi
M
M
Nishizawa
T
T
Inoue
J
J
Ulaankhuu
D
D
Okamoto
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D003699:Hepatitis D / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003698:Hepatitis Delta Virus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008986:Mongolia / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014766:Viremia
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral