Hepatitis B e antibody determination: comparison and evaluation of four different methods.

A radioimmunological neutralization assay for the determination of hepatitis B e antibody is described. The method is compared with a blocking and a competitive assay and with immunodiffusion. The neutralization assay proved to be the most sensitive method, and results obtained by this method were reproduced most easily. The frequency of nonspecific results may be up to 1% of the sera tested. Among patients with acute type B hepatitis, e antibody was found regularly soon after the clearance of hepatitis B e antigen by using the neutralization assay, whereas this antibody was found on the average several weeks later and in a lower percentage of patients by using the other methods. It is concluded that at present the neutralization assay is the method of choice.