Background: Occult Hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) among blood donors is an important medical concern.
Objectives: This study was done to detect the presence of occult hepatitis B virus infections among blood donors with negative hepatitis B surface antigen and positive total anti-hepatitis B core antibodies in Hawler Major Blood Bank in Hawler city/Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Methods: A total number of 12,185 blood donors in Hawler Major Blood Bank were screened for HBsAg and total anti-HBcAb using ELISA technique, and then positive results were retested by confirmatory technique by Chemiluminescence assay. All HBsAg-/HBcAb+ were selected as the study group; HBV DNA was tested among HBsAg-/HBcAb+ by conventional PCR and Real time-

Background: About 10-15% of population HBV infection becomes chronic, and 85-90% are resolved. In Iraq, HBs-Ag assay by ELISA is only mandatory test for detection of HBV infection in blood donors. Anti- HBc and anti-HBs were not detectable in their sera.
Objective: To investigate the distribution of serological patterns for HBV who were HBsAg negative.
Material and method: Between July 18, 2011 to December 25, 2011, 10ml of blood samples were collected from National blood Transfusion Center donors, Baghdad, for 25782 individuals (25294 male, 488 female), mean age (20-65)years. HbsAg positive sera excluded (185), and final number of donors included in the
study was 25597 HbsAg negative.
Result: The data sho

Background: Hepatitis is a disease of the liver caused by the infectious and non-infectious agents.
Patients &methods: A total of 600 blood donors attending blood bank at Baghdad city were included in this study , they were screened by Enzyme Immune sorbent Assay for detection of HBs Ag and anti-HCV ,that confirmed by recombinant immunoblot assay .the possible influence of the various factors on the prevalence was analyze too.
Results: Form the total donors there were 37(6.2%)and 6(1.7%)positive for HBV &HCV respectively .peak prevalence for HBs Ag was noticed in age groups (20-29)years .
Conclusion: Screening blood donors for both HBV and HCV is indispensable for safe blood transfusion. . In gen

Objective: To determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among blood donors and risky population in Diyala province.<br />Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, the records of HCV screening and confirmatory tests were reviewed for the period 1996-2001.Third generation Enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) and Enzyme immunoblot assay were used as screening and confirmatory tests respectively.<br />Results: The prevalence of HCV infection among blood donors was 0.15%, with the highest in 1997. The highest prevalence rates were found among multiple blood recipient; hemophilia, thalassemia and hemodialysis patients (27.3%, 16.9% & 14.3%) respectively. Whereas, the patients with chronic hepa

Background:

To determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis B markers in chronic hepatitis B patients, 75 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus of ages (8-70) years have been investigated and compared with 50 apparently healthy individuals. All the studied groups were carried out to measure (HBsAg), (HBsAb), (HBeAg), (HBeAb), and (Total HBcAb) by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The percentage distribution of HBsAg was (86.67%) and HBsAb was (1.33%) in sera of CHB patients and there were a highly significant differences (P<0.01) when compared between studied groups, while, the percentage distribution of HBeAg was (22.67%) in sera of CHB patients and the significant represent the difference in distribution of HBeAg as infection but no

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the major etiological agents causing acute and chronic liver disease worldwide with significant morbidity and mortality. The high genetic variability of HBV is reflected by eight genotypes (A to H), each with a particular geographical prevalence.
Objectives: The study was conducted to find out HBV genotypes in chronic hepatitis B- (CHB) carriers in association with serological markers of HBV.
Methods: This work was carried on from March to, December 2012 in Duhok/Iraq and enrolled 134 HBsAg positive carrier cases. recruited to Central Public Health Lab. Specific primers PCR technique was used to detect HBV genotypes. The carrier cases were screened for markers of HBV infection by Enzyme

the association between celiac disease and viral infection

Background: Globally, hepatitis B is one of the most common infectious diseases. Estimates indicate that at least 2 billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), with more than 378 million people being chronic carriers. Those individuals at higher risk for acquiring HBV and transmitting disease like pregnant women should be screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) to prevent transmission by vaccination and operation. Aim of study: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBsAg and its associated parameters in pregnant women who referred to antenatal clinic in Baghdad Province. Methods: The 234 apparently healthy pregnant women and their families, husbands and children were se