Assessment of HBV replicative status by receptors for polymerized human albumin.
Receptors for polymerized human albumin (pHSA-r) are expressed on HBsAg in larger numbers during complete viral replication. We have evaluated the usefulness of pHSA-r as a marker of high-level infection by a comparison with serum HBeAg, liver HBcAg and serum HBV-DNA. One-hundred-and-fifty-seven patients with HBsAg positive chronic liver disease were tested for HBeAg and pHSA-r titre. In 73 of them liver HBcAg was tested by immunofluorescence, while in the remaining 84 serum HBV-DNA was determined. Seventy-three subjects were HBeAg positive, 20/73 were HBcAg positive, and 60/84 had circulating HBV-DNA. The best cut-off for pHSA-r was found at 1:204,800 (sensitivity of 67.6% and specificity of 95.7% in detecting viral replication). At this cut-off the concordance rate between pHSA-r and viral replication (as assessed by HBV-DNA or liver HBcAg) was 83%, a figure similar to that of HBeAg (88%). Three HBeAg negative subjects who were actually complete replicators were identified by the pHSA-r test.
D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000382:microbiology; D017457:Receptors, Albumin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000075462:Serum Albumin, Human; D014779:Virus Replication
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D017457:Receptors, Albumin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D012709:Serum Albumin; C032137:polyalbumin; D000075462:Serum Albumin, Human