[Diagnosis of viral hepatitis type A by radioimmunoassay (author's transl)]

In the present work radioimmunoassay technique detecting antibodies have been used to diagnose viral hepatitis type A. Twenty-nine patients with sporadic acute hepatitis were studied. All of the cases were negative to surface antigen of viral hepatitis type B. Blood samples were obtained at the onset of clinical picture and on subsequent weeks. Antibody levels (anti-hepatitis virus A) showed a significant increase between the second and the sixth week in 21 cases (72.4 percent). An increased antibody titer in a single determination, however, is not sufficient for the diagnosis of hepatitis virus A, since antibodies against such virus are present in a large percentage of the normal population. At least two augmented titers in consecutive samples are necessary to diagnose viral hepatitis type A.