Reactivation of hepatitis b after transplantation operations.
Surveillance of the staff and patients at the Cambridge Transplant and Dialysis Unit for hepatitis-B infection since 1968 has revealed the onset of antigenaemia in 6 patients in eight years. When the first serum of each patient admitted was examined for anti-HBc antibody, 23 of 380 (6-1%) patients were found positive. Since the presence of anti-HBc is taken to be evidence of previous infection, the occurence of antigenaemia in 3 of the positives when they were immunosuppressed after transplantation is believed to be due to reactivation of latent infection. This is a new factor to be considered in the control of hepatitis B after transplantation;
D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D011182:Postoperative Care; D013997:Time Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens