Prevalence of hepatitis B e antigen and its antibody as detected by radioimmunoassays

Abstract

A solid‐phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) for the detection of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and antibody (anti‐HBe) was developed. The RIA was approximately 1,000‐fold more sensitive than rheophoresis for HBeAg, and approximately 6,000‐fold more sensitive than rheophoresis for anti‐HBe. Generally, less than one‐fifth of hepatitis B antigen (HBsAg)‐positive sera from blood donors were positive for either HBeAg or anti‐HBe by rheophoresis; in contrast, more than 90% of the samples were positive by the RIA method. The ratio of HBeAg to anti‐HBe among HBsAg carriers varied in different geographic localities. Also, the presence of HBeAg correlated directly with the titer of HBsAg and the presence of Dane core particles. Anti‐HBe was associated with lower titers of serum HBsAg.