Viral hepatitis is a systemic disease primarily
involving the liver. Most cases of acute viral hepatitis
are caused by Hepatitis A virus, Hepatitis B virus
(HBV) or Hepatitis C virus. The complex antigen
found on the surface of HBV is called HBsAg.
Previous designations included the Australia or Au
antigen. The presence of HBsAg in serum or
plasma is an indication of an active Hepatitis B
infection, either acute or chronic. In a typical
Hepatitis B infection, HBsAg will be detected 2 to 4
weeks before the ALT level becomes abnormal and
3 to 5 weeks before symptoms or jaundice develop.
HBsAg has four principal subtypes: adw, ayw, adr
and ayr. Because of antigenic heterogeneity of the
determinant, there are 10 major serotypes of
Hepatitis B virus.
This One Step HBsAg Test Device is a rapid test to
qualitatively detect the presence of HBsAg in serum
or plasma specimens. The test utilizes a
combination of monoclonal and polyclonal
antibodies to selectively detect elevated levels of
HBsAg in serum or plasma.