The Three Systems of Hepatitis B, February 10, 1985

The Three Systems of Hepatitis B, February 10, 1985

Our hospital’s hepatitis B research group introduced three systems from Shanghai, plus DNA-P. The so-called three systems are HBsAg and anti-HBs, HBcAg and anti-HBc, and HBeAg and anti-HBe. Core antibody was proven by FumⅠo to be a sensitive and long-term indicator of hepatitis B virus infection. BouⅠec reported that core antibody is a more sensitive indicator of hepatitis B virus replication than surface antigen. E antigen is essentially a small particle of the hepatitis B core antigen. In the early stages of hepatitis B, only small e antigens exist; large e antigens appear several weeks later. Once large e antigens appear, e antibodies also emerge. The appearance of these antigens is often accompanied by an increase in Dane particles and DNA polymerase activity. E antigen can only be detected in serum where surface antigen is positive, and e antibodies can only exist in serum where surface antigen or surface antibody is positive. The higher the surface antigen titer, the higher the detection rate of e antigen. E antigen is related to core antigen; in liver cells containing e antigen, core antigen can also be found, and the higher the e antigen level, the higher the core antigen level. E antigen and e antibody repel each other, and there are no reports of them coexisting. Therefore, when e antigen is positive, surface antigen is also positive; when e antibody is positive, surface antigen is not necessarily positive. When e antigen is positive, core antibody is also positive.