{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,5]],"date-time":"2026-07-05T03:54:38Z","timestamp":1783223678208,"version":"3.54.6"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,24]],"date-time":"2022-03-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1648080000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Immune control of various infectious diseases, particularly viral, was shown to be more efficient for females than males. Response to viral vaccines (HAV, HBV) was higher in females. Data on hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers accumulated over 15 years in blood donors was stratified according to sex, including HBsAg, HBV viral load and levels of anti-HBs in areas where genotypes B and C (China), genotype D (Iran, Lebanon, Tunisia) and genotype E (Ghana, Burkina Faso, Gabon) were prevalent. HBsAg was screened by either ELISA or rapid tests, anti-HBc and anti-HBs by ELISA, HBV DNA load by a standardized method across sites. In Ghanaian children less than 5 years, HBV DNA load was significantly lower in females than in males (p = 0.035). In China, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Gabon blood donors, median HBsAg prevalence was ~5% and 3% in China, ~8.5% and 4.5% in Gabon, ~16% and 11% in Burkina Faso and ~11% and 7% in Ghana for male and female donors, respectively (p &lt; 0.001). In HBsAg+ Ghanaian blood donors, distribution and median viral load were not significantly different between sexes; occult hepatitis B infections (OBI) were significantly more frequent in males. In Chinese blood donor anti-HBc+ and anti-HBs+, anti-HBs levels tended to be higher in males but vaccinated donors\u2019 anti-HBs+ only, while anti-HBs levels were females &gt; males. In areas where genotypes B-E are dominant, the prevalence of chronic HBV infection (HBsAg+) seems better controlled before age 16\u201318 by females infected vertically or horizontally. OBIs appear considerably more frequent in men, suggesting lower efficacy of HBV infection control. Female blood donors appear significantly safer from HBV than males, and their donation should be encouraged.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v14040673","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,24]],"date-time":"2022-03-24T23:31:43Z","timestamp":1648164703000},"page":"673","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Hepatitis B Virus Chronic Infection in Blood Donors from Asian and African High or Medium Prevalence Areas: Comparison According to Sex"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Jean-Pierre","family":"Allain","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Hematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB1 8RN, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shirley","family":"Owusu-Ofori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Transfusion Medicine Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi P.O. Box 1934, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xianlin","family":"Ye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shenzhen Blood Centre, Shenzhen 518000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6888-6317","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cyrille","family":"Bisseye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Science and Technology of Masuku, Franceville P.O. Box 943, Gabon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8889-4234","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mira","family":"Chaar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Balamand, P.O. Box 166378 Ashrafieh, Beirut 1100-2807, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chengyao","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Transfusion Medicine, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1782","DOI":"10.4049\/jimmunol.1601166","article-title":"Sex Drives Dimorphic Immune Responses to Viral Infections","volume":"198","author":"Ghosh","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. 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