title: Hepatitis B antigen and prevention of post-transfusion hepatitis B.
abstract: Screening for hepatitis B antigen (HB-sAg) in the serum of blood donors and exclusion of antigen-positive blood units have reduced the frequency of post-transfusion hepatitis but several cases of hepatitis B still occur in association with transfusions. One explanation for this is probably that HB-sAg is not an indicator of infectivity. Thus healthy carriers of the antigen seem to have low infectivity while carriers with chronic liver disease as well as donors incubating hepatitis B probably present a great risk.
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D001782:Blood Donors; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D007122:Immunoelectrophoresis; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013548:Sweden; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D001663:Bilirubin