Hepatitis B Virus e Antibody, Serum

Clinical Use

Use

This test is useful for determining the presence or absence of detectable hepatitis B virus e antibody (anti-HBe) in monitoring the infection status of individuals with chronic hepatitis B. It helps in determining the infectivity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers and in monitoring serologic response of chronically HBV-infected patients receiving antiviral therapy. The presence of anti-HBe usually indicates inactivity of the virus and low infectivity in HBV carriers. Positive results should be interpreted in conjunction with other clinical and laboratory findings.

Special Instructions

Not provided.

Limitations

Serum specimens from individuals taking biotin supplements at high doses may yield false-positive results due to interference with the assay. Anti-HBe test results should be considered in the context of the patient’s overall health and other laboratory findings. Extremely high titers of interfering antibodies can cause false-positive results, although test design minimizes these effects. The appearance of anti-HBe does not rule out chronic HBV infection. Performance characteristics have not been established for specimen types other than serum or when used with other manufacturers' assays.

Test Details

FDA Approved