Specificities of albumin receptors and albumin antibodies.

Receptor sites for polymerized human serum albumin (pHSA) on the envelope of hepatitis B virus (hepatitis B surface antigen) and antibodies to pHSA in sera of patients with liver disease were differentiated by an indirect fluorescent antibody method. Analysis of the specificities of pHSA receptors and antibodies to pHSA by hemagglutination inhibition suggested that pHSA receptors reacted with a species-specific site on pHSA, whereas "autoantibodies" to pHSA cross-reacted with pHSA from different species. These human antibodies inhibited the binding of hepatitis B surface antigen-associated receptors to pHSA.