Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen in blood donors with a history of hepatitis

Sera and questionnaires from 3,230 prospective U.S. volunteer blood donors were obtained in an earlier study to determine the prevalence of serologic markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) among prospective blood donors with or without a history of either hepatitis or blood transfusion. These sera were reevaluated using a radioimmunoassay for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). Anti-HBc in the absence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or its antibody (anti-HBs) was detected in 30 of 1,151 (2.6%) prospective donors with a history of hepatitis, compared to four of 1,086 (0.4%) with no history of hepatitis (p less than 0.001). Although end-point dilution titers of anti-HBc greater than or equal to 1:100 and the presence of IgM anti-HBc were more frequently detected among donors with a history of hepatitis than among donors with no history of hepatitis, the difference was not statistically significant. Unlike a history of hepatitis, a history of transfusion or a history of exposure to persons with hepatitis had no significant association with the detection of anti-HBc in the absence of other HBV serologic markers.