Screening tests for hepatitis B antigen and antibody in two colleges of education and studies on the relationship between nonspecific positive antibody tests and EB virus infection.

Laboratory diagnosis of EB virus infection in some cases presenting as hepatitis.

“…In our tests for HBsAg (Ruparelia and Edwards, 1976) on 627 sera from healthy university students, two were positive after one absorption in the Hepanosticon test and were also positive in the Wellcome Hepatest with no reaction with the control cells. Of these two students one was indeed a carrier of HBsAg.…”

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1976, 7580 serum specimens were tested for HBsAg by the passive haemagglutination test, Hepanosticon. Serum from 38 people gave a positive result after absorption with the absorbent provided, but the presence of HBsAg could not be confirmed by other tests.

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“…Nearly all such positive reactions can be removed by absorption with the absorbent provided, which consists of 'stabilised' sheep erythrocytes coated with a sheep gamma globulin not containing antibodies to HBsAg. During a survey of the incidence of infectious mononucleosis and hepatitis B antigenaemia in university students (University Health Physicians and Public Health Laboratory Service Laboratories, 1971;Ruparelia and Edwards, 1976) We have therefore looked for evidence of recent EB virus infection by testing for the presence of EB virus specific IgM and heterophil antibody in sera giving 'false' positive Hepanosticon results. This paper reports the result of this investigation and indicates that current or recent EB virus infection is one cause of false positive Hepanosticon reactions.…”