The Australia Antigen: Where Do We Stand?

Abstract

Prospective and retrospective studies of transfusion hepatitis have shown that donor blood containing Australia antigen, or hepatitis-associated antigen, carries a 40 to 70 percent risk of producing hepatitis in the recipient. From these studies has also emerged the time sequence of HAA antigenemia and clinical hepatitis. There appear to be two distinct viral diseases, immunologically and probably clinically different, but the distinction between “serum” and “infectious” hepatitis is probably no longer valid.