title: Anti-pre-S antibodies in different groups of patients with hepatitis B virus infection.
abstract: The anti-pre-S antibody in the samples of sera from normal healthy persons and patients with different clinical types of liver diseases due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was detected by a newly established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. This test is a blocking assay where anti-pre-S antibody in the patient's serum blocks subsequent addition of horse radish peroxidase-labelled polymerized human serum albumin (pHSA) to the pHSA-receptor site of HBsAg molecules fixed on a solid surface. Anti-pre-S activity was not detected in any from 95 healthy persons who were negative for all HBV-markers or from 105 healthy HBV carriers. In 12 sera from HBV vaccine recipients, anti-pre-S activity was noted in higher proportions compared with anti-HBs, after both the second and third doses of vaccine. Anti-pre-S activity was detected in small proportions of HBsAg positive sera from acute viral hepatitis (4.2%) and chronic active hepatitis (10%). In subacute viral hepatitis patients, the anti-pre-S antibody was totally absent. However, anti-pre-S activity was recorded in high proportions of HBsAg-positive sera from patients with cirrhosis of liver (57.2%) and fulminant hepatitis (41.6%). The anti-pre-S antibodies were assumed to be implicated in the clearance of HBV particles from circulation without causing tissue damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology & Human Nutrition, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irshad
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Gandhi
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Tandon
mesh_terms: D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D011498:Protein Precursors; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C050806:presurface protein 1, hepatitis B surface antigen; C050807:presurface protein 2, hepatitis B surface antigen