The screening for Australia antigen and antibody has been routine at the Blood Transfusion Center of Montpellier, France, on every donor since Sept 1, 1970. An investigation is made on each donor found to be a carrier of the antigen. We report the results prior to May 31, 1971.
Material and Methods
Population Under Enquiry.—All donors at the Center, living in the départements of Hérault and Lozére, and part of Aude, Aveyron, and Gard are included. All are voluntary and unpaid. The birth place of each donor is included to indicate their general racial origin. Since the screening applies to every donor and donors carrying an antigen are rejected, the population under control becomes progressively but only partially cleared. From this policy it has been possible to establish some data on selected populations.Method of Screening.—Each sample was tested by counterelectrophoresis. Antigen was tested by two antibodies, one