Hepatitis C

Blood is tested – ELISA:
🩸 HBs antigen – appears in the blood at the end of the incubation period, the indicator is not constant, the protein structure is often subject to mutations;

🩸 Hbe antigen – appears in the blood serum of patients with acute hepatitis and chronic active hepatitis from the end of the incubation period to the end of the replication phase; indicates active virus replication. It is not detected in infection with pre core mutants of the HBV virus and in HDV superinfection.

🩸 HBcor antigen – not tested in the laboratory.

🩸 Ab HBs ig M and ig G – antibodies to the HBV surface antigen. Appear at the end of the acute period of hepatitis or after 3-8 months; persist for 10 or more years; indicate the presence of immunity. Used as a criterion for the effectiveness of vaccine prophylaxis.

🩸Ab HBe ig M and ig G – antibodies to HBe ag. Appear from the 2-3rd week of the icteric period; persist for up to 2-5 years. Indicate the beginning of the non-replicative phase.