CLIA Reagents of Inflammation (HBcAb)

Antibody class
Anti-HBc can be divided into three types: anti-HBcIgM, anti-HBcIgA, and anti-HBcIgG. These types appear and disappear in sequence in HBV infection. Only the IgG type can exist for a long time. In the test sheet reported by the laboratory, if only "anti-HBc" is marked and there is no type, then it should be the sum of these three types, but most hospital laboratories report IgM and IgG type II.

Anti-HBclgM type, called "hepatitis B core antibody IgM type", often indicates acute HBV infection, or in the acute attack of chronic hepatitis B, when chronic hepatitis B enters the active phase, with the prolongation of the course of the disease or the improvement of the condition, the IgM gradually disappears. and replaced by IgG.

Anti-HBcIgG type, called "hepatitis B core antibody IgG type", often indicates chronic HBV infection, or previous infection, HBV infection in the past, and now HBv has been cleared, but IgG type core may still be detected in the blood Antibody. Patients with chronic hepatitis B have this type of antibody in their blood, and patients with hepatitis B in convalescence also have this type of antibody. The hepatitis B carriers we are talking about are all chronically infected with HBV, and they should all be this type of antibody.

Physiological meaning
Hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) is the corresponding antibody to the core antigen of hepatitis B virus. It is not a protective antibody, but its existence is one of the indicators of being attacked by the hepatitis B virus. It includes three types: IgM, IgA, and IgG. IgM type is an important indicator for judging acute hepatitis B. It is the earliest specific antibody that appears in the blood after the body is infected with hepatitis B virus, which generally lasts for 3-6 months.

If the HBcAb-IgM titer continues to be high, it indicates that hepatitis B has a tendency to become chronic. If the HBcAb-IgM titer is high in chronic active hepatitis B patients, it means that the hepatitis B virus is actively replicating in the body, which is one of the indicators of strong infectivity. HBcAb-IgG appeared late and was not a protective antibody. The detection of HBcAb-IgG has significance in epidemiological investigation.

1. HBV replication indicators: the presence of high titers of hepatitis B core antibody often indicates that there is HBV replication in the body.

2. HBV infection indicators: In the diagnosis and identification of hepatitis B, the antibody titer of the serum in the convalescent period is 4 times or more increased than that in the acute phase, which can be diagnosed as HBV infection. Hepatitis B core antibody also plays an important role in the diagnosis of viral hepatitis.

3. When the hepatitis B core antibody is positive, it indicates the past infection or current infection of hepatitis B. The standard of difference is to further check the two types of the core antibody: core body IgM and IgG.
High titer of hepatitis B core antibody IgM is an important indicator of acute or recent infection, and it can also be positive in active chronic hepatitis, indicating that hepatitis B virus is replicating and infectious.
The core antibody IgG can persist for several years to decades and is a sign of past hepatitis B virus infection, indicating that it has now recovered.