Hepatitis-B virus infection in anaesthetists.
To determine whether anaesthetists are at risk from developing hepatitis-B virus (HBV) infection from their patients, 95 anaesthetists working with black South Africans (who have a high prevalence of hepatitis-B antigenaemia) were questioned about attacks of viral hepatitis and their blood was tested for hepatitis-B (surface) antigen (HBsAg) and antibody (Anti-HBs). Anti-HBs was detected in the serum of 17.9% of the anaesthetists, but none was a chronic carrier of HBsAg. Two anaesthetists had suffered from acute viral hepatitis during their careers, one of whom is now positive for Anti-HBs. Forty-five of the anaesthetists (47.4%) were known to have anaesthetized patients with HBs antigenaemia, and of these seven were Anti-HBs-positive. Anaesthetists working with a population having a high carrier rate of HBV appear to be more at risk from HBV infection than the general population.
D000328:Adult; D000776:Anesthesiology; D044383:Black People; D002353:Carrier State; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013019:South Africa
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies