HEPATITIS-BE ANTIGEN AND ANTIBODY IN HEPATITIS-B SURFACE-ANTIGEN POSITIVE BLOOD-DONORS

In a study of 105 asymtomatic HBsAg positive blood donors, 9 (8.6%) were found to have HBeAg, 38 (36.2%) anti-HBe, and the remaining 58 (55.2%) neither marker detectable by gel diffusion. There was no correlation between HBeAg/anti-HBe status and HBsAg sub-types, Glm allotypes, the presence of anti-Gm, red cell antibodies, or rheumatoid factor. Rheumatoid factor activity could be removed from anti-HBe positive sera without removing anti-HBe activity, indicating that separate entities were involved. HBeAg was found only in donors under the age of 30 (P <0.005), 0.005)m while anti-HBe did not show an age-related trend. HBeAg was also found less commonly in donors of blood group A than in the total carrier population (p < 0.05) indicating an apparent protection in carriers of group A. The blood group distribution for the 105 HBsAg positive donors was similar to that of the general population.