Differential Serodiagnosis of Sporadic Acute Viral Hepatitis

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Abstract
The frequency of the various types of acute sporadic viral hepatitis was studied in a sample of 222 consecutively hospitalized adult patients. Sera and feces at admission and discharge from the hospital were available in 26 of the 69 cases negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by passive hemagglutination assay. These were selected for more intensive serologic investigation by solid-phase radioimmunoassay methods. Ig[immunoglobulin]M antibodies to HAV [hepatitis A virus] (anti-HAV) were detected in 9 cases. In 3 (33%) of them HAV was demonstrated in feces. In 10 cases evidence of current hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was demonstrated. The remaining 7 cases were characterized as non-A, non-B hepatitis by exclusion because of serologic evidence of past HAV and HBV infection. In Greece almost 80% of the acute sporadic cases among adults are apparently caused by HBV, 11% by HAV and about 9% by non-A, non-B virus.

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