Serological markers of hepatitis A and B virus infection were determined by radioimmunoassay in 162 university students. Antibody to hepatitis B e antigen (anti-HBe) was demonstrated in 11 of 15 students positive for both antibody to hepatitis B e antigen (HBsAg) and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). The presence of anti-HBc alone seemed to denote previous hepatitis B virus infec...

â  hepadnaviruses employ an unusual strategy for the production of enormous number of virions during replication which makes rapid and substantial genetic sequence changes and alterations. the pathogenesis and clearance of hepatitis b virus (hbv) infection are engaged by the selection and expression of viral mutants durâ­ing virus-host interactions. mutations in regulatory regions such as the b...

Infection with the delta agent can only occur in the context of coexistent hepatitis B virus infection. We describe a patient in whom the clinical features of acute delta hepatitis developed when seroconversion from hepatitis B surface antigen to antibody had already occurred and diagnosis of recent acute hepatitis B was based on high titre IgM antibody to hepatitis B core antigen. We discuss t...

The woodchuck hepatitis virus is a naturally occurring hepatitis B-like virus that infects the eastern woodchuck. Direct immunofluorescence staining for woodchuck hepatitis virus core antigen in liver biopsies demonstrated the presence of this antigen in 14 of 17 chronically infected woodchucks, and in 8 of 10 woodchucks undergoing acute infections. Fluorescent localization of woodchuck hepatit...

Tree squirrel hepatitis B virus (THBV)-associated particles isolated from the livers of naturally infected animals share one or more antigenic determinants with hepatitis B surface antigen in solid-phase immunoassays. Characterization of THBV-associated polypeptides by sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis reproducibly demonstrated major components with apparent sizes of 15....