Anti-BsAg antibody

Hepatitis B is an infectious illness caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV). The acute illness causes liver inflammation, vomiting, jaundice and rarely, death. Chronic hepatitis B may eventually cause liver cirrhosis and liver cancer – a fatal disease with very poor response to current chemotherapy. The infection is preventable by vaccination. The hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is most frequently used to screen for the presence of this infection. It is the first detectable viral antigen to appear during infection. However, early in an infection, this antigen may not be present and it may be undetectable later in the infection as it is being cleared by the host.