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IgM ANTIBODY TO THE HEPATITIS B CORE ANTIGEN IN ACUTE HEPATITIS DETERMINED BY SPRIA ‐ DIAGNOSTIC VALUE
Author(s) -
WIDELL ANDERS,
HANSSON BENGT GÖRAN,
LÖFGREN BENGT,
MOESTRUP TORKIL,
NORKRANS GUNNAR,
JOHNSSON TORSTEN,
NORDENFELT ERIK
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica series b: microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0108-0180
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1982.tb00084.x
Subject(s) - antibody , acute hepatitis , virology , antigen , medicine , hepatitis , immunology , value (mathematics) , mathematics , statistics
A solid phase radio‐immunoassay (SPRIA) was developed for the detection of anti‐HBc IgM. The assay proved sensitive and easy to perform and rheumatoid factor did not affect the test results. Anti‐HBc IgM titres were followed in consecutive samples from 15 patients after uncomplicated acute hepatitis B. In the acute phase the anti‐HBc IgM titres ranged from 10 ‐5 to 10 ‐7 (mean 10 ‐6.4 ). One year after onset of disease ten of the 15 had titres below 10 ‐4 and between two and three years after onset most patients had titres 10 ‐3 . Anti‐HBc IgM titres were determined in six episodes of acute hepatitis B, all HBsAg negative but anti‐HBc positive in the first samples obtained (within 8 days) and developing anti‐HBs during convalescense. Acute phase anti‐HBc IgM titres in these patients ranged between 10 ‐5.5 and 10 ‐7 (mean 10 ‐6.5 ) and were thus identical with HBsAg positive cases. When acute phase sera from 168 episodes of acute hepatitis primarily classified as non‐A, non‐B, were tested for anti‐HBc IgM titres above 10 ‐5 , sera from 13 episodes were positive and in seven of these hepatitis B diagnosis could be confirmed by rising anti‐HBs titres in convalescense. Sera from four of the 13 patients contained HBeAg, which was thus demonstrated in the absence of HBsAg. The results show that testing for anti‐HBc IgM is important for a true non‐A, non‐B diagnosis.