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Serum HBsAg, HBeAg, anti‐HBe, and hepatitis B viral DNA in asymptomatic carriers in Taiwan
Author(s) -
Chen DingShinn,
Lai MingYang,
Lee ShengChung,
Sheu JinChuan,
Yang PelMing,
Sung JueiLow
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.1890190113
Subject(s) - hbeag , hbsag , asymptomatic carrier , virology , titer , infectivity , medicine , hepatitis b virus , hepatitis b , hepatitis , antigen , asymptomatic , immunology , virus
Plasma samples from 89 asymptomatic hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive volunteer blood donors were titrated for HBsAg by radioimmunoassay using the parallel line method. HBsAg titers ranged widely from 0.01 to 325 μg/ml. The titers correlated well with hepatitis B viral DNA (HBV DNA) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) in the serum. The HBsAg titers in 55 HBV DNA positive carriers were 90.7 ± 61.7 μg/ml (Mean ± SD) vs. 6.3 ± 12.2 μg/ml in the 34 carriers without HBV DNA in the serum. The titers were 93.9 ± 59.1 μg/ml in 56 carriers with HBeAg, 6.4 ± 10.1 μg/ml in 24 anti‐HBe‐positive carriers, and 4.9 ± 4.6 μg/ml in 9 HBeAg/anti‐HBe‐negative carriers. 50 (89.3%) of the 56 HBeAg‐positive carriers had HBV DNA, in contrast to four (16.7%) of 24 anti‐HBe‐positive carriers. The study indicated that high‐titered HBsAg carriers were much more likely to be infectious, and confirmed that HBeAg is a practical marker of infectivity. Absence of HBeAg, however, did not exclude infectivity in asymptomatic HBsAg carriers, inasmuch as one‐sixth of the carriers had HBV DNA.