ArticlePloS one2024
Incidence of Occult Hepatitis B Infection (OBI) and hepatitis B genotype characterization among blood donors in Cameroon.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Global prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus infection in HBcAb-positive individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Characteristics of occult hepatitis B infection among pregnant women in the Center Region of Cameroon: rationale for universal administration of hepatitis B birth dose vaccine.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- First identification of occult hepatitis B infection among ethnic minority students in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Residual transfusion risk of occult hepatitis B transmission associated to genotypes A and E among blood donors in Yaoundé, Cameroon.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Low prevalence of concurrent active hepatitis E and B virus infection in high-risk groups in Southwestern Cameroon.IJID regions · 2025Article
- High Burden of Hepatitis B Virus and Occult Infection Among HIV-Positive Adults and Pregnant Women in Southwest Cameroon.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Prevalence of occult hepatitis B infection and hepatitis B genotype characterization among blood donors in Jember Regency, East Java, Indonesia.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Immune Escape and Drug Resistance Mutations in Patients with Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Clinical and Epidemiological Implications.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Transfusion-transmitted occult hepatitis B virus infection: current understanding, challenges, and its implication in blood safety.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOccult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is characterized by the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA at low levels in serum (<200 IU/mL) with a negative hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test. OBI remains a major challenge to blood safety, particularly in HBV-endemic regions like Cameroon, where HBV detection relies solely on HBsAg testing. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the actual incidence and genotype characteristics of OBI in Cameroonian blood donors.
methodsBetween March and June 2023, samples were collected from 288 HBsAg-negative blood donors aged 18 to 55 years and analysed for antibodies against the HBV core (anti-HBc) and surface antigens (anti-HBs). Following DNA extraction from the serum samples, qualitative nested PCR and quantitative real-time PCR were used to detect HBV viral DNA and viral load respectively. For positive samples, sequencing of a fragment of the S gene was performed to identify the circulating HBV genotypes.
resultsThe findings revealed that 58% (n = 167/288) of blood donors tested positive for anti-HBc, 29% (n = 83/288) tested positive for anti-HBs, and 26% (n = 75/288) being positive for both anti-HBc and anti-HBs. Occult hepatitis was confirmed in 4.5% of the blood donors, all of whom belonged to either HBV genotypes A or E, which are predominant in Cameroon. The amino acid substitution sA184V associated with HBsAg detection failure in genotype E was observed in 70% of OBI sequences, and the HBsAg immune escape variants (sT131N and sS143L) implicated in OBI were also observed. The mutation rtN139K in the reverse transcriptase (RT) domain of the overlapping HBV polymerase (P) gene was present in 17% of OBI-positive sequences of genotype E, likely contributing to masking HBsAg secretion.
conclusionThe results suggest a considerable risk of transfusion-transmitted HBV in this region. Therefore, to ensure blood safety, nucleic acid testing (NAT) is recommended, as relying solely on HBsAg assays is insufficient to eliminate this risk.
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