Immunoassay for the qualitative determination of total antibodies against hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)
Hepatitis B is a potentially life threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person.1
The disease is not always self limiting: In adults approx. 5 % of acute infections will follow a chronic course of varying degrees of severity; infants will develop chronic hepatitis B in up to 90 % of the cases.1 Approximately 300 million people are estimated to be living with HBV Infection. In 2015, hepatitis B resulted in 887,000 deaths, mostly from complications (including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma).1
The hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) is a secretory protein that appears in serum as a result of HBV proliferation (acute or chronic) and its presence is usually associated with higher rates of transmission.2,3
Seroconversion to anti‑HBe suggests the end of active viral replication and is therefore associated with clinical resolution of self-limited hepatitis B or remission during chronic disease, marking a transition from the immune-active phase of the disease to the inactive carrier state.3-6
The Anti-HBe test is, therefore, meaningful in association with the HBeAg test and other Hepatitis B markers for monitoring the course of HBV infection and the effect of treatment for chronic hepatitis B.3-6
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