title: Oral fluid as a medium for the detection of hepatitis B surface antigen.
abstract: Currently viral antigens and antibodies are detected by traditional serological tests. However, the introduction of oral fluid as an alternative medium would allow other alternatives. The collection of oral fluid is, in comparison with venepuncture, less invasive, less painful, less expensive (i.e., no trained personal required), and safe (prevention of needle stick injuries). Also large numbers of samples can be collected easily for epidemiological purposes. Forty-three HBsAg positive and seventy-three HBsAg negative paired serum/oral fluid samples were tested. They were collected from patients attending university hospitals. The oral fluid samples were collected using the Oracol collection device and they were subjected to an IgG quantification assay to ensure their quality and quantity. The detection of HBsAg in oral fluid was carried out using a modified ETI-MAK-4 ELISA. The validation of this oral fluid test gave a sensitivity and specificity of 90.7% and 100%, respectively. The modified ETI-MAK-4 ELISA is a suitable test for oral fluid samples collected by the Oracol collection device for epidemiological purposes.
authors: Unit of Epidemiology, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium. veronik.hutse@iph.fgov.be
authors: Veronik
authors: V
authors: Hutse
authors: Els
authors: E
authors: Verhaegen
authors: Liesbet
authors: L
authors: De Cock
authors: Sophie
authors: S
authors: Quoilin
authors: Hans
authors: H
authors: Vandenberghe
authors: Yves
authors: Y
authors: Horsmans
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Michielsen
authors: Pierre
authors: P
authors: Van Damme
authors: Hans
authors: H
authors: Van Vlierberghe
authors: Françoise
authors: F
authors: Claeys
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Vranckx
authors: Herman
authors: H
authors: Van Oyen
mesh_terms: D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D012463:Saliva / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D013048:Specimen Handling
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens