Isolated Hepatitis B Core Antibody: A Step Closer to Understanding this Enigmatic Profile

Isolated hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) — defined as the presence of anti-HBc in the absence of hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) or hepatitis B surface antigen — is common in HIV-infected patients, but how to interpret this finding is uncertain. Now, an analysis involving men who have sex with men in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study provides important information on the predictors and reproducibility of this serologic pattern.

Of 2286 men (1117 with HIV infection and 1169 without) tested between 2001 and 2007, isolated anti-HBc was found on at least one visit in 22.2% of the HIV-infected and 11.5% of the HIV-uninfected men. When hepatitis B serologic patterns were examined at visits just before and just after the isolated anti-…