Evidence that e-antigen is not transmitted with hepatitis B infection.
The correlation between transmission of e-antigen (e-Ag) and hepatitis B antigen (HBsAg) was investigated in primary and secondary cases of type B hepatitis occurring in 15 families. The e-Ag was not consistently transmitted in the familial environment, as were the d and y subtypes of HBsAg, but occurred in erratic fashion among genetically and epidemiologically related cases. It is concluded that e-Ag is probably the non-transmissible product of a specific individual response to hepatitis B infection.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D000939:Epitopes; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens