A unique characteristic of the hepatitis B virus is the production of a secreted form (precore or HBeAg) of the structural nucleocapsid (core or HBcAg). By using T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic (Tg) and TCR x HBc/HBeAg double- and triple-Tg pairs, we demonstrate that HBeAg elicits T cell tolerance, whereas HBcAg is nontolerogenic in this system. In fact, TCR x HBc double-Tg mice spontaneously ...

The recent addition of testing volunteer blood donors for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) has raised questions not apparent when such testing is applied to hepatitis B (HB) infected patients. The review of published studies, and our own, demonstrates that it is difficult to evaluate false positive results. Some patients appear to lose antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (ant...

Background: The household transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major health problem. High incidence of HBV infection is observed within the household contacts of HBV carriers. We aimed to evaluate serological markers of hepatitis B infection among family members of HBV carriers in Arak, central Iran. Methods<stron...

Tests by counter-immunoelectrophoresis for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) were introduced into a routine testing programme for evidence of hepatitis B virus infection. Samples tested for anti-HBc were selected on the basis of the results of tests for HBsAg and clinical details. The sensitivity and specificity of the test were assessed and correlations made with the presence of ...

The presence of serological markers for hepatitis B virus (HBsAg, anti-HBc IgM and Anti-HBc total) was investigated in the serum of 1,396 individuals who had clinical suspect of hepatitis. It was observed that 50.7% of the individuals were positive and, from the total of the studied individuals, 14.5% were positive for HBsAg. From these, 8.5% were also positive for anti-HBc IgM. The analysis in...

The present study was designed to assess the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among hospital employees, who often contract the infection before the beginning of their employment, and to suggest a prevention strategy. The study population consisted of 2518 subjects working or studying at the two Hadassah University hospitals, on Mount Scopus and at Ein Kerem in Jerusalem. The total prev...

OBJECTIVES Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an important worldwide public health problem and it has been cause of elevated morbidity and mortality rates. The objectives of this study were determine the HBV infection seroprevalence in psychiatric institutions and in individuals with Down's syndrome, detect viral DNA in HBsAg and anti-HBc total positive serum samples and determine the HBsAg s...

Covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) is a unique episomal replicative intermediate molecule of hepatitis B virus (HBV) which plays a key role in viral persistence. The aim of this study was to prove cccDNA persistence in the liver tissue of patients negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and positive for antibody to hepatitis core antigen (anti-HBc). Intrahepatic HBV DNA and cccDNA...

BACKGROUND Occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) characterized by the absence of detectable HBsAg remains a potential threat in blood safety. We investigated the actual prevalence, viral factors and genotype of OBI infections in Nigerian blood donors. METHODS Serum collected from two blood banks were reconfirmed as HBsAg seronegative by ELISA. Forty HBsAg positive samples were employed as ...