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Sometimes the meaning of one result depends on the result of another test. However, not all tests are done on all people. Ask you doctor what she expects to find out from the results of your tests. She can help you understand what the results mean.

The table below summarizes possible interpretations of some common patterns of results.
Hep B surface antigen (HBsAg) Hep B surface antibody (Anti-HBs) Hep B core antibody (Anti-HBc IgM) Hep B core antibody Total (Anti-HBc IgG+IgM) Hep B e antigen (HBeAg)*See note Hep B e antibody (Anti-HBe) Interpretation / Stage of Infection
Negative Negative    Negative       No active or prior infection; not immune — may be good candidate for vaccine; possibly in the incubation stage
Positive Negative Negative Negative Positive Negative Early acute infection
Positive Negative Positive or Negative Positive or Negative Positive Negative Acute infection, usually with symptoms; contagious
Positive Negative Positive Positive Negative* Positive Late in the acute stage of infection (seroconversion)
Negative Negative Positive Positive Negative* Positive Acute infection is resolving (convalescent)
Positive Negative Negative Positive Positive Negative Usually indicates an active chronic infection (liver damage likely)
Positive Negative Negative Positive Negative* Positive Chronic infection but low risk of liver damage — carrier state
Negative Positive Negative Positive Negative* Positive Infection resolved (recovery); immunity due to natural infection
Negative Positive    Negative       Immunity due to vaccination

*Note: There are some types (strains) of HBV that do not make e-antigen. In areas where these strains of HBV are common (in the Middle East and Asia), testing for HBeAg is not very useful. In these cases, a negative HbeAg result does not necessarily mean that the antigen is not present or that the person is not infectious; it may be that the person is infected with a strain that does not make the e-antigen.

Hepatitis B viral (HBV) DNA: This test measures the amount of virus present in the blood, so results are reported as numbers, specifically, as "international units per milliliter." A high result usually means that the virus is actively replicating and that the infection can be passed to others. It also indicates that the person has a high risk of having liver damage.

A low result or one that is reported as below a lower limit (for example, 100 international units/milliliter) means the virus is not present or is present in such low numbers that it cannot be detected. This usually means that the infection cannot be spread to others. If the test is used to monitor treatment, a low result usually indicates the therapy is effective.

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Is there anything else I should know?
Even if you don't have symptoms, an HBV infection can damage your liver and you can spread the infection to others. For this reason, it is important to get tested if you think you have been exposed to HBV.

Hepatitis D (HDV) is another virus that can cause liver infections, but only if hepatits B is also present. A person may become infected with both viruses at the same time (a co-infection) or may first be infected with hepatitis B and then become infected with HDV (a superinfection). In the U.S., the incidence of HDV is low. There is no vaccine for HDV, but since it causes infections only in the presence of HBV, it may be prevented with the HBV vaccine.