Hepatitis B antigen-associated deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase activity and e antigen/anti-e system

Abstract

Serum samples of 403 asymptomatic blood donors carrying hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were concentrated 3-fold and tested for e antigen and antibody to e antigen (anti-e) by immunodiffusion. Hepatitis B antigen(HBAg)-associated DNA polymerase activity was specifically determined by the difference in incorporation of [methyl-3H]thymidine 5''-triphosphate into DNA by an aliquot of centrifuged serum samples after it was treated with normal rabbit serum or with rabbit antibody to HBsAg. All 58 serum samples containing e antigen revaled HBAg-associated DNA polymerase activity; none of 96 samples containing anti-e did. In the remaining 249 samples in which neither e antigen nor anti-e was found, 62 showed specific DNA polymerase activity, although at lower levels than the samples containing e antigen.