TY - GEN T1 - A comparison of hepatitis B seroepidemiology in ten European countries AU - Nardone, A. AU - Anastassopoulou, C. G. AU - Theeten, H. AU - Kriz, B. AU - Davidkin, I. AU - Thierfelder, Wulf AU - O'Flanagan, W. AU - Bruzzone, B. AU - Mossong, J. AU - Boot, H. J. AU - Butur, D. AU - Slaciková, M. AU - Panait, M. L. C. AU - Hellenbrand, Wiebke AU - Melker, H. de AU - Sobotová, Z. AU - Icardi, G. AU - Andrews, Nick AU - Pebody, Richard AU - Damme, P. van AU - Kafatos, G. AU - Miller, E. AU - Hatzakis, Angelos AB - To inform current and future vaccination strategies, we describe the seroepidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in ten representative European countries using standardized serology that allowed international comparisons. Between 1996 and 2003, national serum banks were compiled by collecting residual sera or by community sampling; sera were then tested by each country using its preferred enzyme immunoassays and testing algorithm, and assay results were standardized. Information on current and past HBV vaccination programmes in each country was also collected. Of the ten countries, six reported low levels ( KW - Europe KW - hepatitis B KW - vaccination KW - serology KW - 610 Medizin PY - 2008 LA - eng PB - Robert Koch-Institut, Infektionsepidemiologie VL - 137 IS - 07 DO - 10.1017/S0950268808001672 ER -