Clustering of HBsAg in a family.
A study was performed on a family of 7 followed up over a 4-year period in which an outbreak of B-antigen-positive hepatitis occurred. Of the 5 male members who acquired HBsAg, 1 became a chronic asymptomatic carrier and 4 had episodes of acute icteric hepatitis during a 15-month period with development of histologically documented chronic hepatitis with persistent HBs antigenaemia in all. Of the 2 female members, 1 had an attack of acute HBsAg-positive hepatitis but recovered normally and cleared HBsAg from her serum, while the other was found to have anti-HBs with no evidence of liver disease. Serological and immunological studies carried out in all members of this family suggested that a sex-linked defect of T cell function itself could explain the differing host immune response to HBV infection in genetically related subjects.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens