Type B hepatitis after transfusion with blood containing antibody to hepatitis B core antigen.
We tested the hypothesis that donor blood containing antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) but lacking detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody (anti-HBs)might transmit Type B hepatitis by examining donor and recipient serums from a Veterans Administration study of post-transfusion hepatitis. Donor blood was available from three patients with Type B hepatitis and from one patient with hepatitis B virus infection (development of anti-HBs and anti-HBc) without symptomatic disease. All four had received 1 unit of blood with high titer of anti-HBc but lacking HBsAg and anti-HBs. In contrast, no such units had been transfused into nine patients with "immunization-like" response (development of anti-HBs without anti-HBc) or into 26 control patients. These data stress the importance of anti-HBc as an indicator of hepatitis B virus infection and support the hypothesis that high-titer anti-HBc-positive blood might be infectious.
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001782:Blood Donors; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D012712:Serum Globulins / Q000032:analysis; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D012712:Serum Globulins