The serological markers of hepatitis A and B in healthy population in northern Pakistan.

A total of 630 apparently healthy volunteers were studied for seromarkers of hepatitis A and B by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Radioimmunoassay (RIA) techniques. A carrier rate of 5.3% for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was found in young medical students while 10.7% recruits were positive for HBsAg. The pregnant females had HBsAg carrier rate of 7.8%. About 96.6% of young medical students and 100% of recruits revealed evidence of past exposure to hepatitis A. The serological evidence of past exposure to hepatitis B was found in 12.2% of medical students and 33.2% of recruits and pregnant females. Generally, substandard hygienic conditions and poor sanitation contributed to the transmission of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in young population. The use of unsterilized syringes in mass inoculation and vaccination and lack of HBsAg testing of the donor’s blood in most blood banks were largely responsible for the spread of hepatitis B virus (HBV) (JPMA 38: 69 , 1988 ).