Frequency and Persistence of Serologic Markers Following Three Different Manifestations of Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Thirty asymptomatic chronic carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), 6 asymptomatic blood donors transiently infected with hepatitis B virus and 38 patients with acute hepatitis B were tested for HBsAg, anti-HBs [anti-hepatitis B surface antigen antibody], HBeAg [anti-hepatitis B e antigen], anti-HBe [anti-hepatitis B e antigen antibody] and anti-Hbc [anti-hepatitis B core antigen antibody]. Comparison of these results revealed significant variation in the frequency of HbeAg which was present in 1 (3.3%) carrier, 2 (33.3%) of the transiently positive donors and in 24 (63.2%) of the patients with acute hepatitis. Anti-HBe was found in 28 (93.3%) of the carriers, 4 (66.6%) of the transiently positive donors and in 8 (21%) of the patients. Variation was also seen in the strength of anti-HBc, with only the chronic carriers having titers which were consistently high (> 1000). Retesting the 2 groups of donors after a period of .apprx. 2 yr showed no change in the serologic status of the chronic carriers, while among the transient HBsAg positives the 2 HBeAg reactives had seroconverted, 1 of the anti-HBe positives had become nonreactive, and 2 of the 6 had developed anti-HBs. Six of the patients with acute hepatitis B were serologically reexamined during convalescence and showed results similar to those seen in the transiently HBsAg-positive donors, with clearance of HBsAg in all, seroconversion from HBcAg to anti-HBe in 4, and the production of anti-HBs in 4.