Abstract
Summary
A newly developed immune adherence (IA) test for hepatitis A antibody was applied to etiologic investigations of subclinical hepatitis cases diagnosed by serum enzyme elevations. Among 25 cases of subclinical infection occurring in Costa Rica, 18 seroconverted and were diagnosed as hepatitis A, four had HBsAg and were diagnosed as hepatitis B, and three were neither hepatitis A nor B. The development of hepatitis A antibody in such cases equates with protection against the disease and confirms that immunity may result from clinically inapparent infection. Hepatitis A antibody in these subclinical cases was shown to persist for at least 7 years, the longest time period investigated. The antibody response in subclinical hepatitis A was comparable to that previously noted in clinical cases of the disease.
The authors are indebted to Elivette Navarro, Miguel Chacon, W. P. M. Fisher, Marilyn Johnston, and Paula Giesa for valuable technical assistance.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.