Geographic risk factors for viral hepatitis and cytomegalovirus infection among United States Armed Forces blood donors

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Abstract
In an effort to determine whether residence in a foreign country increases the risk of hepatitis B and C and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in United States (US) Armed Forces blood donors, 5719 volunteer donors at four US Navy blood banks were evaluated. Most participants were repeat donors (68%) and were young (mean age, 25 years), male (88%), and white (80%), black (10%), or Hispanic (7%). Birth outside of the United States was reported by 6 percent of subjects, and 34 percent had lived in a foreign country for more than 3 months. Twenty (0.3%) subjects had hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and 100 (1.7%) had antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti‐HBc). Thirty‐four (0.6%) were repeatably reactive in enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti‐HCV); 11 (0.2%) had anti‐HCV in immumoblot assay. Of the 3484 donors tested for anti‐CMV, 1117 (32.1%) were positive. When demographic characteristics were controlled for both anti‐HBc and anti‐CMV seropositivies were independently associated in male blood donors with residence in the Philippines. Geographic factors were not associated with HBsAg and anti‐ HCV positivity. These findings indicate that the prevalence of serologic markers for viral hepatitis is low in military blood donors, but that residence in the Western Pacific is a risk factor for hepatitis B and CMV infection.