Sensitivities of Radioimmunoassay and Enzyme‐Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detection of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen

Abstract
Radioimmunossay (RIA) using Ausria II (Abbott) was found to be more sensitive for the detection of HBsAg than the Hepanostika Micro‐Elisa system (Organon Teknika), by a factor of 5– to 20–fold for subtype ‘ad’ (with one exception), and 2– to 5–fold for subtype ‘ay’. The sensitivities of RIA and the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa) have also been evaluated in the screening of 178 selected serum samples contributed by 7 different laboratories. Of these, 149 were found to be positive for HBsAg by RIA, 142 were positive by Elisa and 36 were positive by CEP.