A Survey on Relationship between Studying in the Field of Laboratory Sciences and Some of Hepatitis B Infection Markers

SUMMARY To investigate the relationship between studying in the field of laboratory sciences and some of markers of Hepatitis B virus, the prevalence of Hepatitis Bs Ag, Hepatitis Be Ag and their antibodies, were studied in 423 students of Tehran Universities. Using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, it was found that 1.4 % of laboratory sciences students possessed HBsAg,9% of them possessed Anti - HBs and 10% were exposed to virus. The prevalence of Anti-HBs was higher in the male than the female and was found to be 63 % . Students with HBsAg were further checked for Anti-HBe. 1% of laboratory students who possessed HBsAg were found to have Anti-HBs as well. There was no significant difference in amount of this antibody between the male and the female. The percentage of Anti-HBs depends on the duration of exposure, and does not depend on the history of individuals. Regarding the above mentioned results, it can be deduced, that since the level of infection to Hepatitis B virus is average in Iran, there is no significant difference between the laboratory sciences students and the control group.