AIM OF THE STUDY To determine the influence of HBsAg and HBeAg negative but anti-HBc positive status on the sustained virological response (SVR) rate in HCV-infected patients treated with pegylated interferon alfa 2 (Peg-IFNα-2) and ribavirin (RBV). MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was based on the retrospective analysis of medical records of HCV-infected patients who started Peg-IFNα and RBV t...

BACKGROUND The significance of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) without hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) is unclear. METHODS This cohort study included men enrolled in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort to determine clinical and laboratory predictors of isolated anti-HBc. RESULTS A total of 2286 subjects (51% human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]-infe...

BACKGROUND Prevalence of total antibodies against core antigen (anti-HBc) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is greater in longer dialysed patients, but there are no data indicating a relationship between the higher seroconversion rate to anti-HBc positivity and longer renal replacement therapy (RRT) vintage prior to seroconversion. Our aim was to evaluate the association between RRT duration and seroc...

We studied hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission among 7416 Thai children from 148 schools in Kamphaeng Phet province, a rural part of northern Thailand. Their age ranged from 2 to 16 years (median 9 years). Between May 1991 and June 1992, 61 of 2593 (2.4%) in the cohort of susceptible children acquired anti-HBc immunoglobulin. Forty-seven of the 148 schools had children who acquired anti-HBc. S...

background: in spite of available, and sensitive screening assay for detection of hepatitis b virus surface antigen (hbsag), occasional cases of post-transfusion hepatitis b virus infection are still observed. the aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of positive anti hepatitis b core (anti-hbc) and presence of hbv-dna in serum sample of healthy blood donors negative for both hb...

INTRODUCTION Anti-hepatitis B core antibody (Anti-HBc) alone is defined as the presence of anti-HBc in the absence of HBsAg and anti-HBs. The significance of this serological pattern as a predicting factor for occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains largely unknown. This study aimed to assess the significance of anti-HBc alone in predicting occult HBV infection in high-risk and low-ris...

Rapid counter-immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) and radioimmunoassay (RIA) methods for detecting antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) were used to screen nearly 8000 blood donors, including 919 prisoners. The prevalence of anti-HBc in prisoner donors (3.4%) was significantly higher than that in other donors (0.7%). The three HBsAg positive donors in the series were all anti-HBc positive an...

The presence of antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) has a different implication than with anti-HBs. Anti-HBc antibodies do not distinguish between active or previous infection, nor to they indicate immunity. All hepatitis B carriers and all patients who have previously been exposed to hepatitis B will be positive for total anti-HBc. Chronic hepatitis B carriers have circulating an...

BACKGROUND The risk of transmitting a hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection from donor kidneys with a past HBV serological profile may be negligible. Data on HBV transmission to kidney transplant recipients from donor organs that were anti-HBc/HBsAg in Italy has not been previously reported. Anti-HBc testing in cadaver organ donors has been mandatory in Italy since 2002, when anti-HBc determination...