Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).1 Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is a polypeptide component of the external envelope of HBV.2 After infection, HBsAg is the first immunologic marker detectable in serum.3 HBsAg assays are used within the scope of diagnostic procedures for persons with suspected acute or chronic HBV infection and prevent the transmission of the virus by blood and blood products.1,4
Despite the high true positive rate of repeatedly reactive HBsAg results, the seriousness of the diagnosis, with its potential medical, social, and economic implications mandates that a confirmatory test is attempted on all repeatable positive specimens.5
The Elecsys® HBsAg II Auto Confirm assay is a fully automated confirmatory assay, based on the principle of specific antibody neutralization.6
Automation of analytical steps and result determination via cobas e flow
All steps needed to perform the confirmatory testing with the Elecsys® HBsAg II Auto Confirm assay are automated, including the final calculation.6