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Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen, e‐antigen and its antibody in menstrual blood and semen
Author(s) -
Ayoola E.A.,
Ladipo O.A.,
Odelola H.A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/0020-7292(81)90065-5
Subject(s) - hbsag , semen , antibody , antigen , immunology , medicine , virology , hepatitis b , hepatitis b virus , nigerians , infectivity , sexual transmission , virus , andrology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , microbicide , political science , law
Fifty male and fifty female healthy Nigerians were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HB s Ag). Results were positive in five men and four women. HB s Ag was detected in samples of semen of three male HB s Ag carriers and in menstrual blood of four female carriers. Seven of the carriers had detectable hepatitis B core antibody in their serum; of these carriers, two semen and two menstrual blood samples were also positive for this antibody. In none of these subjects did we detect e ‐antigen or its antibody in either the serum, semen or menstrual blood. It is concluded that the presence of the antibody to hepatitis B core antigen, which is a marker of persistent viral replication and of infectivity, further reinforces the role of sexual transmission in the propagation of hepatitis B virus infection in the tropics.