Antibody against Serum-Hepatitis Antigen

Abstract

Abstract The passive hemagglutination method was used to evaluate serum-hepatitis (SH, Australia/ HAA) antibody content of conventional, convalescent and hyperimmune gamma-globulin preparations. antibody was detected at low titer in most batches of conventional gamma (less than 1:2 to 1:64), in contrast to a titer of 1:512,000 in gamma prepared from hemophilic plasma containing known precipitating antibody (SH immune globulin). Injection of SH immune globulin resulted in the appearance of antibody that remained detectable for at least two months in the blood of half of the recipients. A study of the distribution of antibody titers in volunteer and paid blood donors showed that antibody was 10 times more frequent among paid donors. Antibody levels in these populations were generally quite low in comparison to those present in patients with hemophilia. Cautious clinical investigation is required before SH immune globulin can be accepted for use in prevention, modification ...