AntiHBsAg

• anti-HBsAg indicates clinical recovery and immunity to hepatitis B virus
• anti-HBsAg may also occur (via passive transfer) after transfusion
• this antibody is found in about 80% of patients after clinical cure
• anti-HBsAg may take several weeks or months to appear following the disappearance of HBsAg
• in fulminant hepatitis the anti-HBsAg is produced early and may co-exist with low antigen titre
• in chronic carriers - no antibody is present but antigen titres are high
• the presence of anti-HBsAg without HBsAg detectable signifies:
  • recovery from HBV infection
  • absence of infectivity
  • immunity from future HBV infection
  • the presence of anti-HBsAg can be used to show effectivity of immunisation programme

Reference

1. Trépo C, Chan HL, Lok A. Hepatitis B virus infection. Lancet. 2014 Dec 06;384(9959):2053-63