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Hepatitis B e Antigen in Volunteer and Paid Blood Donors
Author(s) -
Tabor E.,
Goldfield M.,
Black H. C.,
Gerety R. J.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1046/j.1537-2995.1980.20280169960.x
Subject(s) - volunteer , medicine , antigen , immunology , hepatitis b , virology , hepatitis , blood donor , biology , agronomy
Sera from 200 volunteer blood donors and 200 paid blood donors, all positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), were tested for the presence of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). HBeAg was detected in 31 HBsAg‐positive paid donors (15%), and in 11 HBsAg‐positive volunteer donors (5%) by agar gel diffusion. The presence of HBeAg was associated with higher titers of HBsAg. No significant difference was found in the prevalence of antibody to HBeAg (anti‐HBe) in the two donor groups. Rheumatoid factor was not associated with the presence or absence of HBeAg or anti‐HBe, indicating that HBeAg is probably not an anti‐IgG. These data support the epidemiological evidence that paid blood donors appear to be more likely than volunteer donors to transmit hepatitis B virus infection to recipients of their blood.