title: Recent advances in the identification of hepatitis viruses.
abstract: Resulting directly from the discovery of virus-related antigens, rapid progress has marked the last decade of viral hepatitis research. The hepatitis B virion has been tentatively identified as a DNA virus with an endogenous DNA polymerase, and new serological markers for type B hepatitis have been discovered. Hepatitis A antigen has been identified on a virus-like particle thought to be the hepatitis A virion. Progressively more sophisticated assays for hepatitis antigens and antibodies have been applied to the study of viral hepatitis epidemiology and biochemical-biophysical characterization of the agents. Most recently, knowledge learned from such studies has been exploited to develop a prototype non-infectious but immunogenic hepatitis B vaccine using hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) purified in large quantities from chronic HBsAg carriers. Especially exciting is the prospect, suggested by serological studies of viral hepatitis, that hepatitis viruses besides hepatitis A and B viruses will be identified.
mesh_terms: D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D006518:Hepatitis Viruses / Q000032:analysis*; D006507:Hepatovirus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D004247:DNA; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase