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The authors conducted a prospective controlled epidemiological observation in two towns of the Moldavian SSR. There were 50 000 persons under observation. Over 300 000 parenteral manipulations carried out in them were recorded. Analysis of the materials obtained on the Minsk-22 computer demonstrated the same incidence of viral hepatitis in the groups given parenteral manipulations and without them. Consequently, the instrumental transmission factor had no essential significance in the epidemiology of viral hepatitis, this corresponding to the results of the authors' preceding theoretical study.

Two prospective controlled investigations were carried out with the use of the same procedure: in 1968-1970, when blood was not tested for HBsAg, and in 1974-1975, when only HBsAg-negative blood was used for transfusion: the presence of the antigen in the blood was determined by counter immunoelectrophoresis. The total number of hospitalized patients under observation was 37.530; of these, 13.719 patients received blood transfusion (the test group) and 23.811 patients had no blood transfusion (the control group). Posttransfusion hepatitis morbidity was determined by the difference of the morbidity rates in the test and control groups. The results thus obtained indicate that the use of HBsAg test for selection of donors in order to prevent posttransfusion hepatitis is ineffective. For this purpose epidemiologic control should be used, allowing detection of the source of infection among donors in any etiological nosoform of posttransfusion hepatitis.