title: Serologic studies of transmission of hepatitis A in humans.
abstract: In 1968, studies of infectious hepatitis in volunteers were reported. Immunologic procedures for serologic study of the hepatitis A virus were not available at that time, and only the clinical and biochemical parameters of the disease were reported. Serial serum specimens from the participants in the study were retained; these specimens had been taken before inoculation and up to more than 100 days after inoculation. When a radioimmune assay for antibody to hepatitis A virus was developed, the series of sera was analyzed retrospectively. Forty-four male volunteers were involved in a series of three studies. Twenty (46%) of the volunteers were found to be initially immune to hepatitis A virus. Eighteen susceptible volunteers (with no preexisting antibody) were challenged with infectious virus. Eight of these volunteers developed clinical hepatitis and seroconverted; one seroconverted without evidence of clinical disease; and nine neither seroconverted nor had evidence of clinical disease. The radioimmune assay provided a method for diagnosis of immune status and of the acute disease caused by hepatitis A virus.
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D006507:Hepatovirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008297:Male; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G