Scientific Publications by FDA Staff

Transfusion 1981 May-Jun;21(3):366-71

Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen in blood donors with a history of hepatitis.

Tabor E, Hoofnagle JH, Barker LF, Pineda-Tamondong G, Nath N, Smallwood LA, Gerety RJ

Sera and questionnaires from 3,230 prospective U.S. volunteer blood donors were obtained in an earlier study to determine the prevalence of serologic markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) among prospective blood donors with or without a history of either hepatitis or blood transfusion. These sera were reevaluated using a radioimmunoassay for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). Anti-HBc in the absence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or its antibody (anti-HBs) was detected in 30 of 1,151 (2.6%) prospective donors with a history of hepatitis, compared to four of 1,086 (0.4%) with no history of hepatitis (p less than 0.001). Although end-point dilution titers of anti-HBc greater than or equal to 1:100 and the presence of IgM anti-HBc were more frequently detected among donors with a history of hepatitis than among donors with no history of hepatitis, the difference was not statistically significant. Unlike a history of hepatitis, a history of transfusion or a history of exposure to persons with hepatitis had no significant association with the detection of anti-HBc in the absence of other HBV serologic markers.