Puzzling results in my infant

[me123456787654]

After giving birth to my baby and sending of the cord blood to a cordbank I received a letter that they had done 2 tests regarding Hep B; surface antigen and core antibody. I tested negative for surface antigen but positive for core antibody. I didnt remember ever been exposed but I requested medical files and noted that in August 1991 I was exposed and tested positive for surface antigen and 2 weeks later I tested negative for surface antigen and the same for the next 2 months and then it was "written of" as resolved. I freaked out and was tested again (results not back) and had my baby tested. His results are back and it said his surface antigen was negative, his surface antigen antibody was positive but that his core antibody was also positive. I am very puzzled by this results. To add; I was also tested in beginning of pregnancy and my surface antigen was negative, my baby is 1 month and did receive the vaccine the day he was born.
Help please

[stef2011]

Yes, I was tested 1991 but I was also tested 2010 (beginning of pregnancy) and my Hbsag was negative. I would think that even though the 1991 test wasnt sensitive enough to detect the mutant hbsag the 2010 test in USA would be sensitive enough to detect it?

US and UK are the most bad for hbv, even vietnam, china and india have better assays and machines, you might find it very hard to find those machines there even now, in 1991 hbsag mutant was not known
those machines are necessary to see response to therapies and clearance of hbv and are missing in those countries so just figure

[stef2011]

no the infection has passed during birth, if he had no virus he had only hbsab antibody by vaccine and no hbcab

it all depends on the vaccine escape hbsag mutant, it might escape the vaccine and it might not, so for 100% security better check with abbott kit for mutants or siemens and also hbvdna pcr

http://www.medical.siemens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/NewsView~q_catalogId~e_-111~a_categoryId~e_1011115~a_catTree~e_100011,1011114~a_langId~e_-111~a_pageId~e_119076~a_storeId~e_10001.htm

http://archive.mail-list.com/hbv_research/message/20110318.201832.8b8f967e.en.html

[me123456787654]

At this point I am so worried for my baby so as long as he is fine that is great! So you are saying I gave him the virus when he was in my stomach but he still got immunity from the vaccine he got the day he was born?

Yes, I was tested 1991 but I was also tested 2010 (beginning of pregnancy) and my Hbsag was negative. I would think that even though the 1991 test wasnt sensitive enough to detect the mutant hbsag the 2010 test in USA would be sensitive enough to detect it?

[stef2011]

as long as ur baby got vaccine he should be safe 100%, the fact his core antibody got positive means you passed virus to him but as long as hbsab titer of your baby is high he should be protected

since you passed virus to him you have cronic hbv with hbsag mutant, you have probably tested with old assyas which cannot detect the mutants, to be 100% sure about your condition and your baby do request the best and most updated tests for hbv which are:

abbott architect hbsag testing with the new kit for hbsag mutants testing
hbvdna pcr with sensibility 6iu/ml if not available also 12iu/ml is ok, higher is not ok

do make these checks because hbsag mutants can escape vaccine and make occult hepatitis b, this is very rare but since you passed hbv to your baby with hbsag negative this is probably the case

most doctors are ignorant and assume that hbsag negative is always no virus, say you suspect hbsag mutants and occult hepatitis B and that you want to be tested for this and since old assays havn t enough sensibility for this they have to use these assays or say we cannot test for this we wll send ur blood sample to another updated lab

do not skip this because in case of occult hbv hbsag is negative (with old assays), hbvdna pcr might be negative or very low, alt/ast normal.althoug all these parameters are normal occult hbv is dangerous because it can promote HCC and cirrhosis despite normal alt/ast and very low hbvdna, so the key is all in the hbsag mutants

don t be too scared about this just test, occult hbv is very weak to both interferon and antivirals and can be suppressed easily or controlled but if this is the case a very updated liver spacialist is needed, as to labs almost all labs in italy are updated for this so it should not be difficult to find them in other countires too