- Hepatitis B
- Tests & Interpretation
What are the various serologic tests for hepatitis B?
| Table 1: Hepatitis B laboratory nomenclature | |
| HBsAg: | Hepatitis B surface antigen is a marker of infectivity. Its presence indicates either acute or chronic HBV infection. |
| anti-HBs: | Antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen is a marker of immunity. Its presence indicates an immune response to HBV infection, an immune response to vaccination, or the presence of passively acquired antibody. (It is also known as HBsAb, but this abbreviation is best avoided since it is often confused with abbreviations such as HBsAg.) |
| anti-HBc (total): | Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen is a nonspecific marker of acute, chronic, or resolved HBV infection. It is not a marker of vaccine-induced immunity. It may be used in prevaccination testing to determine previous exposure to HBV infection. (It is also known as HBcAb, but this abbreviation is best avoided since it is often confused with other abbreviations.) |
| IgM anti-HBc: | IgM antibody subclass of anti-HBc. Positivity indicates recent infection with HBV (<6 mos). Its presence indicates acute infection. |
| HBeAg: | Hepatitis B “e” antigen is a marker of a high degree of HBV infectivity, and it correlates with a high level of HBV replication. It is primarily used to help determine the clinical management of patients with chronic HBV infection. |
| Anti-HBe: | Antibody to hepatitis B “e” antigen may be present in an infected or immune person. In persons with chronic HBV infection, its presence suggests a low viral titer and a low degree of infectivity. |
| HBV-DNA: | HBV Deoxyribonucleic acid is a measure of viral load and reflects viral replication. It correlates well with infectivity. It is used to assess and monitor the treatment of patients with chronic HBV infection. |
Last reviewed:
July 21, 2023