Latex agglutination test for detection of Australia antigen (HB-Ag) among blood donors and patients.

The application of the latex test for the detection of Australia antigen (Au-Ag) was investigated. Reagents from two commercial sources were compared with the electrophoresis method with regard to sensitivity and specificity using samples from blood donors, hospital patients, and plasma fractions. Discordant results were further investigated by electron microscopy and radioimmunoassay. Differences were noted in the results between these reagents and the significance of the findings together with suggestions for minimizing false positive results are discussed.