Can you have HBe antigen with HBsAg negative?

As well described in the natural history of perinatally acquired CHB, a patient with normal ALT and negative HBeAg could be an inactive HBsAg carrier or a HBeAg negative individual with significant viral replication who at that point of testing has normal ALT.

What does it mean to be HBsAg positive and HBeAg negative?

In HBV carriers and patients with chronic hepatitis B, positive HBeAg results usually indicate presence of active HBV replication and high infectivity. A negative HBeAg result indicates very minimal or no HBV replication. Positive anti-HBe results usually indicate inactivity of the virus and low infectivity.

What does it mean if HBsAg is negative?

Normal results are negative or nonreactive, meaning that no hepatitis B surface antigen was found. If your test is positive or reactive, it may mean you are actively infected with HBV. In most cases this means that you will recover within 6 months.

What does HBeAg reactive mean?

REACTIVE: A REACTIVE HBeAg indicates rapid viral replication usually associated with high HBV DNA levels. HBeAg-REACTIVE patients are considered highly infectious.

What does anti HBe reactive mean?

When the anti-HBe is also reactive, this means the individual is in the process of healing and is less contagious. A non-reactive HBeAg result (with a reactive anti-HBe result) in a person with hepatitis B indicates that the infection is in its initial phase, before peak replication of the virus.

What is the normal range of HBeAg?

HBeAg was qualitatively analyzed, and HBsAg levels were quantitatively analyzed using the Abbott ARCHITECT assay (Abbott Diagnostics, Germany) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The dynamic range of HBsAg levels was 0.05-250 IU/mL.

What does E in HBeAg stand for?

HBeAg stands for hepatitis B e-antigen. This antigen is a protein from the hepatitis B virus that circulates in infected blood when the virus is actively reproducing. 1. If you are HBeAg positive, it means the antigen is present in your blood.

What does a reactive HBeAg mean?

Can HBsAg become negative?

Patients who become HBsAg negative and develop antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) are diagnosed as having resolved hepatitis B [3,4]. This is an uncommon phenomenon in chronic HBV infection. During stage HBV DNA may still be detectable by PCR in serum and more often in the liver.

Can you test negative for hepatitis B and still have it?

Most adults who acquire HBV clear the virus within a few months, and their hepatitis B surface antigen test result will be negative after that time. Some people remain infected and continue to test positive for hepatitis B surface antigen.