HBc IgM ELISA Kit

Hepatitis B core Antigen (or HBcAg) is the major component of the core particles of Hepatitis B virus (or HBV). Particles have a size of 27 nm and contain a circular double-stranded DNA molecule, a specific DNA-polymerase and HBcAg. HBcAg is composed of a single polypeptide of about 17 kD that is released upon disaggregation of the core particles; the antigen contains at least one immunological determinant. Upon primary infection, anti HBcAg IgM antibodies are one of the first markers of HBV hepatitis appearing in the serum of the patient, together or slightly later than HBsAg, the viral surface antigen.Anti HBcAg IgM titers, very high during the acute phase, decrease along the illness, as IgG antibodies appear, down to undetectable levels in convalescent patients. In chronic hepatitis, however, spikes of anti HBcAg IgM synthesis are present, confirming reactivation of HBV in hepatocites and giving origin to permanent IgM low titers.The determination of anti HBcAg IgM antibodies has become very important for the fast classification of the virus, of the phase of the illness and for the monitoring of patients under treatment with interferon.