Title: SPECIFICITY OF THE DIRECT SOLID-PHASE RADIOIMMUNOASSAY FOR DETECTION OF HEPATITIS-B ANTIGEN
Abstract: The 'Ausria' (Abbott Laboratories) direct solid-phase radioimmunoassay (R.I.A.) test detected ten times as many positive reactions as did counterelectrophoresis in 5089 volunteer donor bloods screened by both methods. The specificity of these reactions was investigated by preincubating sera with either hepatitis-B antibody (HBAb), normal guineapig serum, or normal human serum, to attempt neutralisation. In 21% of 81 sera which had been negative on counterelectrophoresis was the R.I.A. positivity specific for the hepatitis-B antigen (HBAg), as indicated by clearcut neutralisation by HBAb. However, in 42% of these sera the R.I.A. positivity was found probably to be due to cross-reacting antiguineapig globulin antibodies, since the reaction was neutralised by normal guineapig serum. The R.I.A. positivity of remaining sera could not be clearly neutralised by HBAb or by guineapig serum, and hence was probably also not HBAg specific. These results were supported by post-transfusion follow-up studies: transfusion of HBAg-specific R.I.A.-positive blood resulted in serological evidence of hepatitis-B infection in 13 of 15 recipients, whereas transfusion of non-HBAg-specific R.I.A.-positive blood resulted in infection in only 1 of 18 recipients (P<0·001). Antisera against immunoglobulins of six different species showed strong (false) positivity in the ausria R.I.A. test. Thus antibodies to ingested globulins (e.g., of porcine, ruminant, or avian origin) cross-react sufficiently with the guineapig immunoglobulins used in this test to produce non-specific results. However, it should be emphasised that the ausria technique detected 2-3 times as many HBAg carriers among blood-donors as did routine counterelectrophoresis.
Publication Year: 1973
Publication Date: 1973-06-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
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Cited By Count: 154
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