Progress report: hepatitis-associated (Australia) antigen.

Progress report: hepatitis-associated (Australia) antigen.

Australia Antigen (a Hepatitis-associated Antigen)

Australia antigen [Au(1)], a particle associated with viral hepatitis, was isolated from the plasma of a patient with chronic anicteric hepatitis and leukemia who had received radioactive phosphorus. We have found that the immunoreactivity and appearance of Au(1) in the electron microscope were not altered by treatment with enzymes including trypsin, pronase, lipase, phospholipase C, ribonuclea...

Cirrhosis associated with the Australia antigen in an infant who acquired hepatitis from her mother.

A 19-week-old English girl developed acute viral hepatitis, which became chronic with persistent hepatosplenomegaly and abnormal liver function tests. Liver biopsy at 1 year showed an active cirrhosis with multinucleated giant cells. The Australia (Au) antigen was detected repeatedly in the infant's serum by immunodiffusion and by electron microscopy at the time of the acute attack and during t...

The Australia (hepatitis-associated) antigen in fibrinogen and other fractions of human plasma.

Human plasma containing the Australia (hepatitis-associated) antigen was fractionated by the cold ethanol method of Cohn, Strong, Hughes, Mulford, Ashworth, Melin, and Taylor (1946) and small aliquots were examined for the presence of this antigen by immunodiffusion and by electron microscopy. The findings were in general agreement with the postulated risk of transmitting hepatitis by blood der...

Total screening of blood donations for Australia (hepatitis-associated) antigen and its antibody.

During a period of one year all of 105,724 blood donations were tested for Australia (Au) antigen and its antibody by rapid immunoelectro-osmophoresis-86 (1 in 1,229) were positive for antigen and 67 (1 in 1,578) positive for antibody. Second donations by previously negative donors reduce the overall incidence of positives. Men prisoners have a significantly higher incidence of Au antigen (1 in...