Immunoglobulin a antibody against hepatitis B core antigen of polymeric and monomeric forms, as well as of IgA1 and IgA2 subclasses, in acute and chronic infection with hepatitis B virus

✍ Scribed by Mikio Hikata; Katsumi Tachibana; Mitsunobu Imai; Shigeko Naito; Akira Oinuma; Fumio Tsuda; Yuzo Miyakawa; Makoto Mayumi

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 615 KB
• Volume: 6
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840060418

✦ Synopsis

Solid-phase radioimmunoassays using monoclonal antibodies were used to assay antibody to hepatitis B core antigen of immunoglobulin A class in terms of polymeric and monomeric forms, as well as of IgAl and IgA2 subclasses, in the serum of persons infected with hepatitis B virus. The level of wcretory immunoglobulin A antibody was significantly higher in patients with acute hepatitis (mean f S.E., sample per normal ratio = 29.2 f 1.9) than that in asymptomatic carriers (2.1 f O.l), patients with chronic persistent hepatitis (3.5 f 0.5), patients with chronic active hepatitis (6.9 f 1.3) or patients with cirrhosis (5.8 f 1.1). In acute type B hepatitis, only polymeric immunoglobulin A antibody of either IgAl or IgA2 subclass was detected. In contrast, in chronic infection, antibody to hepatitis B core antigen of IgA2 subclass was found in the polymeric form, but antibody of IgAl subclass was detected in both polymeric and monomeric forms.

Among the three antigens associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, i.e., hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), HBcAg may be the strongest immunogen in humans. Antibody to HBcAg (anti-HBc) develops earliest in the circulation (l), and often outlasts antibodies directed t o the other antigens (2). Owing t o this, and the fact that naked HBcAg does not occur in the circulation to absorb anti-HBc, a variety of humoral antibody responses to HBcAg are elicited in persons infected with HBV, which can supply information of clinical value.

A high titer of anti-HBc, typically of immunoglobulin G (IgG) class often accompanies continuing viral replication (2), and is observed in chronic HBV infection (3). In acute HBV infection, anti-HBc of immunoglobulin M (IgM) class develops in the serum and is useful in diagnosis (4-6). Recently, we reported anti-HBc of another