Spontaneous loss of HBeAg and development of anti-HBe during long-term follow-up of blood donors found to be HBsAg-positive.
Since 1980, at North London Blood Transfusion Centre 61 (14%) of a total of 442 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive carriers have been hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive by radioimmunoassay at the time of detection, with 353 (80%) anti-HBe positive. We have undertaken long-term follow-up of infectivity markers in 285 of these 442 HBsAg carriers detected by routine screening. Donors undergoing acute HBV infection were excluded from the analysis. The donor follow-up times ranged from 1.2 to 13.5 years. Regular follow-up samples were obtained and examined for HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBe, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Thirty-five (12.3%) of the 285 carriers were HBeAg-positive when first detected. Eight of these 35 developed anti-HBe during follow-up. At no time did any carrier revert from anti-HBe to HBeAg. When these data were subjected to a Kaplan--Meier analysis an estimated lower quartile time to seroconversion of 3.83 years, and a median seroconversion time of 8.25 years were predicted. This corresponds to a mean rate of 6.5% per annum for the first 25% to seroconvert, and 5.7 for the next 25%.
North London Transfusion Centre, England, UK.
S D
SD
Brown
A J
AJ
Barbara
T
T
Lambert
D V
DV
Wilson
D001782:Blood Donors; D002353:Carrier State; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens