A highly sensitive radioimmunoassay technique for subtyping the antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen.
A highly sensitive technique for determining the subtype specificity of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) is described. Immunoadsorbent consisting of controlled pore glass coated with subtype specific HBsAg was used to remove homologous antibody from the test samples before testing them for residual antibody by a commercially available radioimmunoassay (RIA). A total of 73 anti-HBs-positive samples from asymptomatic blood donors were tested. In nearly 80% of these samples the subtype reactivity could be determined by this technique. Only 67% could be typed by conventional liquid phase absorption RIA and 22% by passive hemagglutination inhibition techniques. Among the samples with low anti-HBs titer, ad and ay subtypes were found with equal frequency; however, with the increase in anti-HBs titer, considerably higher proportion of ad specificity was detected.
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens