Detection of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen in Patients with Acute Viral Hepatitis*

Abstract
The relative value of solid phase radioimmunoassay [RIA] and counter immunoelectrophoresis [CIE] for the detection of hepatitis B surface antigen in serum was studied in 1401 patients with acute viral hepatitis. When specimens were obtained early in the illness, CIE was a reliable diagnostic test for hepatitis B, detecting 95.6% of patients antigenically positive by RIA. RIA was of particular value for detecting antigen later in the illness, in longtime stored sera, and in patients with post-transfusion hepatitis in which the titer was frequently below the level detectable by CIE.

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