Hepatitis B antigen, hepatitis B antibody, and subtypes in leprosy.

The prevalence of hepatitis B antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B antibody (HBsAb), and subtypes in 242 cases of leprosy is reported. Patients were divided into three subgroups, lepromatous (174), tuberculoid (55), and borderline (13). A total of 131 patients were tested on admission; the remaining 111 had been institutionalized for a period of 3 months or more when tested. Of the 131 cases tested on admission, 88 were retested 6 to 12 months after admission. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of HBsAg and HBsAb among the three groups or between normal controls and the leprosy patients. The predominant subtype was ADW (84.1%). After institutionalization, one lepromatous case converted to HBsAg positive and four converted to HBsAb positive.