Hepatitis B surface antigen in serum, ascitic fluid and saliva in advanced hepatosplenic schistosomiasis

Fifty patients suffering from liver cirrhosis with ascites and thirty healthy students were examined for hepatitis B. surface antigen. This results showed that the frequency of HBsAg was high in patients with chronic liver disease and a significant higher frequency of HBsAg in cases with ascites. However, the presence of HBsAg in the ascitic fluid and saliva raises the possibility of a potenital danger of transmission of the virus