This test checks for evidence of Hepatitis B infection and is commonly used as a screening test.

 

Hepatitis B is spread when body fluids (such as blood, saliva, semen, or vaginal fluid) from an infected person enter another person's body through a break in the skin or a mucous membrane. It can be spread by sexual activity. It can also be spread from a mother to her baby during childbirth. Some people with acute HBV do not have symptoms and do not know that they are infected, or that they are carriers and can transmit the disease. A chronic HBV infection occurs when the hepatitis B virus continues to be present in a person's liver and blood cells for 6 months or more. Chronic infection can lead to serious liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. People with chronic HBV usually do not have symptoms, unless serious liver disease develops.

 

There are three main types of testing for hepatitis B: HBV genetic material testing (HBV DNA testing), antigen testing, and antibody testing. Antigen testing is most often used to screen people for Hepatitis B. If genetic material (DNA) from the hepatitis B virus is found in a person's blood sample, then doctors know that the virus is multiplying in the person's body. A person is highly contagious when HBV DNA is present. In a person who has chronic HBV infection, the presence of viral DNA means that the person is at increased risk for chronic hepatitis and may want to consider treatment with medications.

 

Testing for HBV DNA is also an important way to monitor the effectiveness of treatment for chronic HBV infection. Antigen testing measures the specific protein of the hepatitis B virus. The two common antigen tests measure the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and the e antigen (HBeAg). A person with HBsAg in the blood for 6 months or longer has a chronic HBV infection and is a "carrier" of HBV, meaning the person can infect others with HBV. In a person who has a chronic HBV infection, the presence of HBeAg indicates a person has high levels of HBV in the blood and is at increased risk for liver disease. Antibody testing measures a person's immune response to the hepatitis B virus. The three common antibody tests for hepatitis B measure surface antibody (HBsAb), core antibody (HBcAb), and e antibody (HBeAb). Acute HBV is characterized by the presence of HBsAg and IgM antibody to core (HBcAb-IgM). Resolution of acute HBV results in the loss of HBsAg and HBcAb-IgM and the development of HBsAb and HBcAb-IgG. HBcAb-IgG persists in the blood. In chronic HBV, HBsAg persists beyond 6 months. Usually, HBeAg, HBcAb-IgG, and HBV DNA are also positive.

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