Abstract
The role of Australia antigen (Au) in serum hepatitis is ill-defined, but there is growing evidence that the antigen may be the virus of serum hepatitis or a virus-associated protein [1-3]. Au antigen has been measured in the sera of persons with acute or chronic hepatitis; antibody to Au antigen (anti-Au) has been studied less well but is known to occur in sera from a proportion of hemophiliacs [3] and other persons receiving multiple transfusions [4]. Until now Au and anti-Au have been detected primarily by agar gel diffusion (AGD) techniques. In only a few reported studies has the antigen or the antibody been quantitated. The present study describes a complement-fixation (CF) test for the measurement of Au and anti-Au, the relative sensitivity and specificity of the test, and its use in detecting, quantitating, and serologically comparing Au and anti-Au.
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