[High percentage of isolated anti-HBc-positive persons among prisoners].
OBJECTIVE
Is the result "isolated Anti-HBc" higher among prisoners than in the normal population and can testing for HBV-DNA clarify the results?


METHODS
In Berlin, 519 prisoners were serologically tested in 1994 for hepatitis-B and -C because of intravenous drug abuse and alcohol disease or signs of hepatitis. Beside virus antigen and antibodies, HBV-DNA was also measured by hybridisation technique or PCR.


RESULTS
50.3% of all individuals showed markers of hepatitis-B and 36.8% of hepatitis-C. 19.2% of persons with hepatitis B markers were positive for anti HBc only, i.e. more than twice as many than in the normal population. 90% of the isolated anti-HBc-positive Persons were also anti-HCV positive, which is nearly double the number of individuals with other patterns of HBV markers. Half of them were tested for HBV-DNA. Whereas the hybridisation technique failed to detect HBV-DNA, 36% of sera were found positive by HBV-PCR.


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows again that the result "anti-HBc alone" is relatively frequent especially among prisoners. This pattern often seems associated with concurrent HCV-infection and in one third of the cases correlated with a chronic hepatitis-B. The result of an isolated anti-HBc should therefore always lead to further testing of anti-HCV and HBV-DNA by PCR.
Neifer
S
S
Institut für Mikrobiologie und Hygiene Berlin.
Molz
B
B
Sucker
U
U
Kreuzpaintner
E
E
Weinberger
K
K
Jilg
W
W
D001604:Berlin / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens