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Recent Advances in our Understanding of Hepatitis B Infections
Author(s) -
Prince A. M.,
Szmuness W.,
Brotman B.,
Ikram H.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
vox sanguinis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.68
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1423-0410
pISSN - 0042-9007
DOI - 10.1111/j.1423-0410.1973.tb03507.x
Subject(s) - antibody , serology , hemagglutination assay , hemagglutination , hepatitis b , virology , immunology , antigen , medicine , hepatitis , hepatitis b virus , hepatitis b immune globulin , virus , biology , hbsag , titer
. The development of highly sensitive hemagglutination (HA) assays for detection of hepatitis B antibody has made possible observation of primary anamnestic antibody responses in most individuals exposed to hepatitis B virus and the development and evaluation of a hyperimmune γ‐globulin preparation. The hemagglutination inhibition assay, while more sensitive than previous techniques for the detection of hepatitis B antigen (HB‐ag) carriers, does not presently appear suitable for use in routine screening of blood donors. However, use of this assay to subtype the antigenic specificities of HB‐ag makes it a valuable identity test for ultrasensitive assays. Prospective serologic follow‐up of children newly admitted to an institution for the mentally retarded and studies on HB‐ag carriers and their families (by hemagglutination inhibition and HA techniques) have revealed that the ratio of infection to clinical disease in hepatitis B infections is greater than 28:1.