Hepatitis B Surface Antigen in Blood Donors: Further Observations

A survey of 128,000 volunteer blood donors from the Greater New York metropolitan area revealed that first-time male donors were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HB, Ag) 2.5 times more frequently than were first-time female donors; Negroes and Mongols were positive four to 20 times more frequently than Caucasians. The ratio of ad to ay seemed to be higher in non-Caucasian antigen carriers than in Caucasian carriers. Among both Caucasians and non-Caucasians the rate of positivity declined after the age of 50. An excess prevalence of HB, Ag was observed in donors with the lowest level of education and in those with the