[Comparative evaluation of several methods of diagnosing hepatitis A]

Immunofluorescence (IF), indirect hemagglutination test (IHA), latex-agglutination test (LA), and immunofluorescence of activated sepharose particles (IFS) were used for early specific diagnosis of viral hepatitis A (VHA). The antisera used in the tests were those from convalescents after VHA collected at 25-30 days which had no HBs antigen or antibody to it. The IF and IHA tests were found to be most sensitive for examination of VHA patients. In VHA foci, positive IF tests were found in 22%-72% contacts (in relation to the number of manifest forms in a focus of infection) which in 84.6% cases correlated with enlarged liver. In parallel examination of contacts in one of VHA foci by IF and IHA tests similar results were obtained and the infection-rate in the group was 64.3% and 64% respectively.