Hepatitis B antibodies in hospital personnel.
Sera from 544 hospital personnel members with different degrees of exposure to the agent of hepatitis B were tested for HB8Ag and anti-HB8 by counterelectrophoresis, radioimmunoassay and passive hemagglutination. The laboratory staff and persons having direct contact with patients exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of anti-HB8 (16.2%) as compared with the other groups: administrative staff (4.4%), healthy persons (4.6%) and blood donors (7.9%). These data prove the relationship between exposure to HB8Ag and anti-HB8 prevalence, more obvious in the laboratory staff handling human serum and plasma specimens (anti-HB8 incidence--25%).
D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D001782:Blood Donors; D002353:Carrier State; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D012383:Romania
D000906:Antibodies; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens