No Hepatitis Delta Virus Seropositivity among Blood Donors with Overt and Occult Hepatitis B Infection in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is an obligate satellite of hepatitis B (HBV). Dual HDV/HBV infection associated with down-regulated HBV replication and fast progression to severe liver disease. Although HDV transmissible through exposure infected blood, data about in blood donors remain scarce. Between 2011 2021, 869,633 donations were collected from prequalified Dalian, China. In total, 1060 (0.12%) confirmed HBsAg and/or DNA-reactive. Subsequently, anti-HDV IgG was tested 2175 donations, including 65 that HBsAg+ pre donation, 1017 HBV-positive (507 HBsAg+/HBV DNA+, 33 HBsAg+/DNA−, 477 HBsAg-/DNA+ (451 occult (OBI) 26 acute infections)), 327 viral DNA non-repeated-reactive, 397 anti-HBc-only, 369 anti-HBs-only. Two (0.09%) samples weakly reactive but unconfirmed by IgM repeat testing alternative assays, suggesting initial false reactivity. addition, a subgroup OBI donors, comprising 451 Dalian 126 archived around the world, showed only one non-Chinese donor be repeatedly anti-HDV-reactive, coinfection does not play significant role genesis OBI. The overall suggested extremely low prevalence among Liaoning province, Northeast