title: Hepatitis B virus DNA in blood samples positive for antibodies to core antigen and negative for surface antigen.
abstract: Anti-hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg)-positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative plasma samples from blood donors were tested by nested PCR. DNA positivity was more significantly associated with high levels of anti-HBcAg than with low levels of anti-HBsAg antibodies. Analysis of a dilution of anti-HBcAg antibodies might result in a more rational exclusion of anti-HBcAg-positive HBsAg-negative samples, reducing the number of donations discarded and enabling more countries to incorporate anti-HBcAg testing.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología de Virus, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Cellular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: León
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Loureiro
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uzcátegui
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liprandi
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Pujol
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001782:Blood Donors; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014687:Venezuela
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens