Seroepidemiological survey of the prevalence of infection in Sabah, Malaysia.

Objective: Gastric cancer is an important cause of mortality in Sabah, Malaysia, but the prevalence of infection in this state is unknown. Serology is an important tool for the surveillance of infection. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of infection by serology, and to provide information for policy discussions on control programmes in Sabah.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analysed serum samples collected from blood donors in a hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. antibody concentration was measured using a commercially available kit.

Results: The prevalence of was 28.4% (204/718), and the infection rate was highest in subjects aged 30-39 years. Men were more likely to be infected than women. The infection rate was highest among those of Kadazan (19.1%) ethnicity, followed by Dusun (15.7%), Bajau (14.7%) and Rungus (10.8%). Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that Chinese (=0.026) and Malay (=0.035) ethnicities were protective against infection compared with other ethnicities.

Conclusions: The seropositivity rate of in this study was similar to the overall seropositivity rate in Malaysia; however, Chinese and Malay ethnicities were found to be protective against infection.