The efficiency of blood donor screening programs could be improved by screening only blood donors who were born in LA or who have traveled in LA for extended periods, using a single enzyme immunoassay.

This extensive study shows that HBV genotype evolution is closely linked to the geographical origin of subjects and that the occurrence of viral envelope mutants is not an exceptional event in healthy HBV chronic carriers. Blood donors rarely recruited in HBV studies provide further relevant information on the characteristics of HBV diversity.