title: Radioimmunoassay for detection of hepatitis B e antigen and its antibody. Results of clinical evaluation.
abstract: The performance of a solid phase radioimmunoassay (ABBOTT-HBe) for the detection of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and its antibody anti-HBe was evaluated in clinical studies. The reagents and procedure were found to be reproducible by seven investigators, and lab-to-lab variations were minimal. In HBsAg positive sera, ABBOTT-HBe detected HBeAg or anti-HBe in 90% of the specimens compared to 50% tested by immunodiffusion. During the early acute stage of viral infection, serum HBeAg coincided with the rise and decline of HBsAg and seroconversion to anti-HBe occurred most often prior to loss of HBsAg. Patients with clinical evidence of chronic liver disease showed persistence of HBsAg and HBeAg. Vertical transmission studies of hepatitis B virus infection from mother to newborns, showed that mothers whose sera were positive for both HBsAg and HBeAg resulted in a greater incidence of transmission of hepatitis B virus to their offspring than mothers whose sera were HBsAg positive but HBeAg negative.
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011786:Quality Control; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens