FREE NEJM E-TOC    HOME   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   CURRENT ISSUE   |   PAST ISSUES   |   COLLECTIONS   |   Search Term  Advanced Search

Sign in | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents — Free | Subscribe

Previous Volume 298:1379-1383 June 22, 1978 Number 25 Next

	Add to Personal Archive Add to Citation Manager Notify a Friend E-mail When Cited PubMed Citation

Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that donor blood containing antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) but lacking detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody (anti-HBs)might transmit Type B hepatitis by examining donor and recipient serums from a Veterans Administration study of post-transfusion hepatitis. Donor blood was available from three patients with Type B hepatitis and from one patient with hepatitis B virus infection (development of anti-HBs and anti-HBc) without symptomatic disease. All four had received 1 unit of blood with high titer of anti-HBc but lacking HBsAg and anti-HBs. In contrast, no such units had been transfused into nine patients with "immunization-like" response (development of anti-HBs without anti-HBc) or into 26 control patients. These data stress the importance of anti-HBc as an indicator of hepatitis B virus infection and support the hypothesis that high-titer anti-HBc-positive blood might be infectious.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Manzini, P., Girotto, M., Borsotti, R., Giachino, O., Guaschino, R., Lanteri, M., Testa, D., Ghiazza, P., Vacchini, M., Danielle, F., Pizzi, A., Valpreda, C., Castagno, F., Curti, F., Magistroni, P., Abate, M. L., Smedile, A., Rizzetto, M. (2007). Italian blood donors with anti-HBc and occult hepatitis B virus infection. haematol 92: 1664-1670 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Michalak, T. I., Mulrooney, P. M., Coffin, C. S. (2004). Low Doses of Hepadnavirus Induce Infection of the Lymphatic System That Does Not Engage the Liver. J. Virol. 78: 1730-1738 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Weinberger, K. M., Bauer, T., Böhm, S., Jilg, W. (2000). High genetic variability of the group-specific a-determinant of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and the corresponding fragment of the viral polymerase in chronic virus carriers lacking detectable HBsAg in serum. J. Gen. Virol. 81: 1165-1174 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Gutierrez, C., Leon, G., Loureiro, C. L., Uzcategui, N., Liprandi, F., Pujol, F. H. (1999). Hepatitis B Virus DNA in Blood Samples Positive for Antibodies to Core Antigen and Negative for Surface Antigen. CVI 6: 768-770 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• CRAMP, M E (1999). HBV + HCV = HCC?. Gut 45: 168-169 [Full Text]