The underlying mechanisms for the 'anti-HBc alone' serological profile.

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Arch Virol. 2010 Feb;155(2):149-58. Epub 2009 Nov 29.The underlying mechanisms

for the 'anti-HBc alone' serological profile.Pondé RA, Cardoso DD, Ferro

MO.Laboratório de Virologia Humana, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde

Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia-Goiás, Brazil.

roberioponde@... serological pattern, " anti-HBc alone " , characterized

by the presence of antibodies against the core antigen of hepatitis B virus

(anti-HBc) as the only marker of hepatitis B, is not rare in a diagnostic

setting. Depending on the prevalence of HBV infection and the patient group

investigated, 1-31% of positive anti-HBc results are isolated positive findings.

Anti-HBc alone is frequently observed in intravenous drug addicts, HIV-infected

individuals, patients who are coinfected with HBV and hepatitis C virus, and

pregnant women. However, it is not clear how this profile should be interpreted.

Several studies have shown that anti-HBc alone is not only compatible with acute

and resolved HBV infection but also with chronic infection. The reasons for the

lack of HBsAg and anti-HBs in anti-HBc-alone individuals are not clear, but

several mechanisms and possibilities have been suggested that could explain this

phenomenon, some of which are delineated in this article.PMID: 20091193 [PubMed

- indexed for MEDLINE]