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Epidemiology of blood donors in Japan, positive for hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus by nucleic acid amplification testing
Author(s) -
Murokawa H.,
Yoshikawa A.,
Ohnuma H.,
Iwata A.,
Katoh N.,
Miyamoto M.,
Mine H.,
Emura H.,
Tadokoro K.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
vox sanguinis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.68
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1423-0410
pISSN - 0042-9007
DOI - 10.1111/j.1423-0410.2005.00581.x
Subject(s) - nat , genotype , virology , nucleic acid test , hepatitis b virus , hepatitis c virus , hepatitis b , medicine , hepatitis , virus , hepatitis c , epidemiology , immunology , biology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , gene , disease , genetics , covid-19 , computer network , computer science
Background and Objectives The Japanese Red Cross screens seronegative blood donors by nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus‐1 markers. NAT‐positive donors thus identified seemed to have a different infectious background from serologically positive donors. The purpose of our study was to characterize this background in the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) NAT‐positive donors. Materials and Methods Some 328 HBV DNA‐positive and 44 HCV RNA‐positive donors were detected by NAT testing of seronegative blood donors. These were characterized regarding age, gender and genotype of HBV and HCV. Results Those who were HBV NAT‐positive were mainly young, in particular teenage girls. In Japan, genotypes C and B have previously been dominant, but recently genotype A has increased, and genotype H was recently detected. In HBV NAT‐positive donors, the rate of genotype A was high (12·2%) compared with patients in hospital (1·7–2%). Donors who were HCV NAT‐positive were also young, but mostly men in their twenties. The ratio of genotype 1b to 2a or 1b to 2b in HCV NAT‐positive donors differed from that of hospitalized patients in Japan. We did not find genotype 1a, which is dominant in the USA. Conclusions The high‐risk donors detected by NAT were mainly young, with a different distribution of genotypes from that of hospitalized patients, regarding both HBV and HCV. The rare HBV genotype H has been found for the first time in Japan. The findings reflect the present spread of hepatitis viruses B and C.