Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Detection of Low Copy Number Integrated Viral DNA Formed by In Vitro Hepatitis B Infection
Published on: November 7, 2018
Immunoglobulin- and hepatitis B surface antigen-specific circulating immune complexes in chronic hepatitis B virus
J F Tsai1, H S Margolis, J E Jeng
1Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Abstract:
For assessing the role of circulating immune complexes (CIC) in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, CICs containing IgM, IgG, and HBsAg were determined by C1q and conglutinin (K) assays in 216 patients with chronic HBV infection and 54 healthy controls. The concentration of each type of CIC in patients is higher than in controls (P = 0.0001). CIC is a common feature of chronic HBV infection with 95.8% of cases having at least one abnormal test result. At least one type of HBsAg-CIC is positive in 54.2% of patients. HBsAg-CIC positivity is associated with HBeAg positivity (P = 0.0001), higher aminotransferase levels (P < 0.002), and younger age (P = 0.001). IgG-CIC or IgM-HBsAg-CIC correlates with higher aminotransferase activity (P = 0.001). In conclusion, HBsAg-CIC correlates with HBV replication. IgG-CIC and/or IgM-HBsAg-CIC correlate with disease activity. Immune-mediated injury may play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic HBV infection.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Humoral Immune Responses
Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity
Complete Antigens
Complete antigens possess both immunogenicity and reactivity.
Antibody Actions
Neutralization
Antibodies can bind to pathogens, preventing them from infecting host cells. This process...
Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...
Hepatitis
Viral Hepatitis I: Introduction

