"e" Antigen, Dane Particles, and Serum DNA Polymerase Activity in HB_SAg Carriers
- 1 October 1976
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American College of Physicians in Annals of Internal Medicine
- Vol. 85 (4) , 458-460
- https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-85-4-458
Abstract
Sera of 103 carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen were assayed for e-antigen and anti-e; 24 were e-antigen-positive, 31 anti-e-positive, and 48 had neither detectable (e-negative). Aminotransferases were elevated in 75% of the e-antigen-positive carriers compared with 25% of e-negative carriers (P < 0.001) and 13% of anti-e-positive carriers (P < 0.001). Serum DNA polymerase activity was significantly higher in the e-antigen-positive carriers than in carriers without e-antigen. Dane particles were shown in 10 of 12 carriers with e-antigen, compared with 1 of 12 e-negative carriers (P < 0.0003) and none of 12 anti-e-positive carriers (P < 0.00003). Ongoing hepatitis B viral replication is apparently more active in e-antigen-positive carriers than in carriers without e-antigen, a finding that may help explain the high prevalence of chronic active hepatitis described in these individuals.Keywords
This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Relation of e Antigen to Hepatitis B Vims Infection in an Area of HyperendemicityThe Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1976