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Hepatitis B infection has been preventable by vaccination since 1982. [4] [12] As of 2022, the hepatitis B vaccine is between 98% and 100% effective in preventing infection. [1] The vaccine is administered in several doses; after an initial dose, two or three more vaccine doses are required at a later time for full effect. [1]
It was discovered to be part of the virus that caused serum hepatitis by virologist Alfred Prince in 1968. Heptavax, a "first-generation" hepatitis B vaccine in the 1980s, was made from HBsAg extracted from the blood plasma of hepatitis patients. More modern vaccines are made from recombinant HBsAg grown in yeast.
The typical seroconversion timecourse for hepatitis B. Seroconversion plays a major role in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B infections. [60] As in other viral infections, seropositivity indicates that an individual has a sufficiently high concentration of antibody or antigen in the blood to be detectable by standard techniques.
Hepatitis D is a defective virus that requires hepatitis B to replicate and is only found with hepatitis B co-infection. [17] In adults, hepatitis B infection is most commonly self-limiting, with less than 5% progressing to chronic state, and 20 to 30% of those chronically infected developing cirrhosis or liver cancer. [ 31 ]
HBsAg (hepatitis B surface antigen) was the first hepatitis B virus protein to be discovered. [15] It consists of small (S), medium (M) and large (L) protein. [16] HBcAg (hepatitis B core antigen) is the main structural protein of HBV icosahedral nucleocapsid and it has function in replication of the virus. [17]
Serious side effects from the hepatitis B vaccine are very uncommon. [13] Pain may occur at the site of injection. [13] It is safe for use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. [13] It has not been linked to Guillain–Barré syndrome. [13] Hepatitis B vaccines are produced with recombinant DNA techniques and contain immunologic adjuvant. [13]
In the past nucleic acid tests have mainly been used as a secondary test to confirm positive serological results. [3] However, as they become cheaper and more automated, they are increasingly becoming the primary tool for diagnostics and can also be use for monitoring of treatment of viral infected individuals t.
The Hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase is a multifunctional enzyme, with both RNA-dependent and DNA-dependent polymerase functions, as well as an RNase H function. It acts on the HBV pre-genomic RNA (pgRNA) to reverse transcribe it to form a new rcDNA molecule within a new capsid.