Active viral coinfection may alter the production of hepatitis B surface antibody.
Resolved hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is classically represented by a serologic profile consisting of antibodies to both hepatitis B core antigen (HBc) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs). However, isolated HBc antibody is an increasingly common finding, particularly among patients with viral coinfection. In this analysis, investigators evaluated potential predictors of isolated HBc antibody among participants in the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), a large cohort of HIV-positive women and at-risk HIV-negative women.
A total of 1192 women without known HBV viremia had antibodies against HBc but were HBs-negative. Of these women, 702 (59%) had serologic studies consistent with resolved HBV infection (i.e., antibodies against both …