BACKGROUND Japanese Red Cross (JRC) blood centers implemented anti-hepatitis B core antigen (HBc) screening in 1989 and 50-minipool (MP)-nucleic acid testing (NAT) in 2000. A systematic lookback study has been conducted to determine the hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission risk of donations drawn in the pre-hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and/or MP-NAT window phase and by donors with occult...

It has been postulated that host immune defects are responsible for the development and persistence of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier state. The nature of these defects is unknown, but the absence of a readily detectable antibody response to HBsAg (anti-HBs) may be important. The synthesis of both anti-HBs and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) in cultures containi...

A fully automated microparticle enzyme immunoassay (EIA), IMx Core, was developed for the detection of antibody against hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). IMx Core sensitivity was less than 0.5 Paul Ehrlich Institut units per ml and was greater than that of the commercial radioimmunoassay (RIA) or EIA, Corab and Corzyme, respectively. Specimens from blood donors and diagnostic and hospital pa...

IgM antibody against hepatitis B core antigen (IgM anti-HBc), a marker of recent hepatitis B virus infection, was sought by radioimmunoassay in sera diluted 1/4000 from 376 patients presenting to four centres in Italy with acute, apparently type B hepatitis (hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive). In 320 patients (85%) a positive IgM anti-HBc test result confirmed that hepatitis was due ...

We greatly enjoyed reading the excellent review by Hollinger and colleagues on occult hepatitis B infection in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients (1). As Hollinger et al. mentioned in their review, few studies have shown the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in HD patients. Due to the parenteral transmission of HBV, HD patients are at high risk of acquiring this virus becau...

A sentinel study on viral hepatitis is currently being carried out in the village of Cavunge in a semiarid rural region of the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. This study has identified individuals in whom anti-HBc IgG was the only serological marker for hepatitis B virus (HBV). This serological pattern may constitute evidence of occult HBV infection. This study Investigated the possibility...

BACKGROUND Detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genomes without detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs-Ag) is termed occult HBV infection (OHBV) that may be transmitted by blood transfusion or organ transplantation and has acute reactivation when an immunosuppressive status like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection occurs. We aimed to evaluate OHBV in HIV-infected patients with iso...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Occult hepatitis B infected (OBI) patients can not completely eradicate hepatitis B virus-DNA (HBV-DNA) from their liver and peripheral blood. The main aim of this study was to investigate the Interleukin (IL)-10and IL-17A serum levels in patients suffering from OBI. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this observational study, plasma samples of 3700 blood donors were tested for hepat...

BACKGROUND Acute viral hepatitis is most frequently caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis D virus (HDV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV). OBJECTIVES To determine seroprevalence of HAV, HBV, HCV and HEV among patients with acute hepatitis in Nairobi, Kenya, elucidate various risk factors for hepatitis viral infection and determine the co-...