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FibroTest has been validated for chronic hepatitis C, [10] chronic hepatitis B, [5] chronic hepatitis C or B with HIV co-infection, [11] alcoholic liver diseases (steatosis and steatohepatitis), [2] and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (diabetes, overweight, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension). [3]
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]
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.
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]
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.
Possible causes for high ALT levels are liver inflammation (hepatitis A, B, C, infectious mononucleosis, acute viral fever, alcohol, pancreatic disorder), injury to muscles (trauma, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, acute kidney failure), and many toxins and drugs.
A western blot can also be used as a confirmatory test for Hepatitis B infection and HSV-2 (Herpes Type 2) infection. [14] [15] In veterinary medicine, a western blot is sometimes used to confirm FIV+ status in cats. [16] Further applications of the western blot technique include its use by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
HBcAg (core antigen) is a hepatitis B viral protein. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] It is an indicator of active viral replication; this means the person infected with Hepatitis B can likely transmit the virus on to another person (i.e. the person is infectious).