Anti-HBc IgG subclasses in different populations by comparing a variety of ELISA plates

The number of IgG subclasses for hepatitis B virus (HBV) core antigen (anti-HBc), demonstrated for HBV-infected individuals, was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Four commercially available hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) plates and one prepared plate were tested for ELISA sensitivity by the detection of 14 serum samples drawn from HBV chronic carriers, cured patients, vaccinees, and non-infected individuals. Differences in optical density (OD) values were obtained by comparing data gathered from the five plate types, suggesting that different plates may have different binding capabilities for each anti-HBc IgG subclass and, thus, contribute to the different ELISA sensitivities. Of these plates, the GB plate showed the most obvious absorbance changes for anti-HBc subclasses in different populations. These data also indicated different patterns for IgG-specific subclasses for various populations. For HBsAg+ carriers, the OD for IgG1 was greater than for IgG3. By contrast, the OD for IgG3 was higher than that for IgG1 in those subjects who were negative for HBsAg.