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Changing Patterns in the Distribution of Hepatitis B Subtypes
Author(s) -
Gust Ian D.,
Dimitrakakis Mary,
Lucas C. Ronald
Publication year - 1980
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.1423-0410.1980.tb02334.x
Subject(s) - hbsag , medicine , virology , hepatitis b , hepatitis , viral hepatitis , immunology , hepatitis b virus , virus
. From July 1, 1969, to June 30, 1977, 4,413 patients with acute viral hepatitis were admitted to Fairfield Hospital, Melbourne, of whom 1,129 (25.6%) had hepatitis type B. Only two of the four major subtypes of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were detected, HBsAg/ ayw and HBsAg/adw, and of these HBsAg/ayw was present in 80.4% of cases. Over the 8‐year period, hepatitis B became more common in Melbourne and the proportion of patients infected with the ayw subtype increased from 75 to 91%. Approximately 50% of the patients with hepatitis B were intravenous drug abusers. In most of the others the source of infection was unknown.