1. Occult hepatitis B infection among blood donors from Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Author
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Fopa, Diderot, Candotti, Daniel, Tagny, Claude T., Doux, Camille, Mbanya, Dora, Murphy, Edward L., Kenawy, Hany I., El Chenawi, Farha, Laperche, Syria, Hôpital Central de Yaoundé, Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine [Paris] (INTS), University of Yaoundé [Cameroun], University of California [San Francisco] (UC San Francisco), University of California (UC), Mansoura University [Egypt], and Candotti, Daniel
- Subjects
[SDV.MP.VIR] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Virology ,occult hepatitis B infection ,Yaoundé-Cameroon ,[SDV.MP.VIR]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Virology ,virus diseases ,blood donors ,Original Article ,digestive system diseases - Abstract
International audience; BackgroundIn Cameroon, the prevention of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission by blood transfusion is still only based on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) screening. However, occult HBV infection (OBI) characterised by the absence of detectable HBsAg and low level of viral DNA remains a potential threat for blood safety. The prevalence of OBI was investigated in blood donors from Yaoundé to provide evidence-based recommendations to improve HBV blood safety.Material and methodsBlood donations from August 1st, 2016 to March 31st, 2017 were routinely screened for HBV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections (Murex HBsAg Version 3, Murex HIV Ag/Ab Combination, and Murex HCV Ag/Ab Combination [DiaSorin]). Additional HBV investigations were performed, including hepatitis B core antibody ([HBc] Monolisa Anti-HBc PLUS; BIO-RAD) and HBV DNA tested in minipools of two samples using the quantitative Cobas Taqman HBV assay (Roche; LoQ: 6 IU/mL) and HBV DNA genotyping by sequencing.ResultsOf 1,162 donations analysed, 91 (7.8%) were reactive for HBsAg. All of them were also anti-HBc positive. Among the 1,071 HBsAg negative samples, 522 (48.7%) were reactive for anti-HBc. Six (0.56% of all donations) samples fulfilled the consensus definition of OBI and showed low HBV DNA loads (all
- Published
- 2019
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