Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/isolation & purification , Blood Donors , Hepatitis A/immunology , Hepatitis B Antibodies/isolation & purification , Hepatitis B/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Canada , Child , Female , Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/isolation & purification , Hepatovirus/immunology , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
After 8 years of screening all blood donations in Canada for HBsAg, first by CIEP and later by RIA, the prevalence of HBsAg in the regular panel of "repeat" donors has been reduced from 267/10(5) to 39/10(5). Marked geographic variations exist, but the available data do not indicate whether the high prevalence of HBsAg in young adults, particularly males, may be a factor. The ad : ay subtype ratio across Canada is 2.0, but noticeable geographic differences are present, varying from 3.5 in Quebec to 0.5 in the Atlantic Provinces.
Subject(s)
Blood Donors , Hepatitis B Surface Antigens , Aging , British Columbia , Canada , Counterimmunoelectrophoresis , Female , Humans , Male , Manitoba , Quebec , Radioimmunoassay , SaskatchewanSubject(s)
Anaphylaxis/immunology , Forssman Antigen , Histamine Release , Immunoglobulin G , Mast Cells/immunology , Animals , Antigen-Antibody Reactions , Binding, Competitive , Cell Membrane/immunology , Guinea Pigs , Immunoglobulin E , Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments , Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments , Lung/immunologyABSTRACT
Forssman antiserum produced in rabbits immunized with sheep erythrocyte stromata was found to contain an IgG antibody which inhibited both passive anaphylactic sensitization of guinea-pig lung and also histamine-releasing activity of soluble immune complexes. This Forssman antibody did not itself cause histamine release or depletion of lung histamine stores. The IgM haemolysin component of the Forssman antiserum was not associated with inhibitory activity. The inhibition by the IgG Forssman antibody differed from that of normal rabbit gammaglobulin both in its irreversible character and in being absorbed by sheep erythrocytes. The inhibitory antibody had no effect on the histamine-releasing activity of compound 48/80, anaphylatoxin or reversed anaphylaxis. It was concluded that IgG Forssman antibody probably blocks the tissue receptor(s) for anaphylactic antibody in guinea-pig lung.
Subject(s)
Anaphylaxis/immunology , Forssman Antigen , Histamine Release , Immune Sera , Animals , Antigen-Antibody Complex , Chromatography, DEAE-Cellulose , Chromatography, Gel , Guinea Pigs , Hemolysis , Histamine/analysis , Immunoglobulin G , Lung/immunology , Toxins, Biological/pharmacology , gamma-Globulins , p-Methoxy-N-methylphenethylamine/pharmacologyABSTRACT
A total of 344 sera positive for hepatitis B surface antigen from volunteer blood donors at several Canadian Red Cross centres were subtyped for ad and ay specificity by counterelectrophoresis. Of the 50 sera from Toronto 21 (42%) were ad and 29 (58%) were ay; of the 95 from Montreal 82 (86%) were ad and 13 (14%) were ay; of the 199 from Quebec 179 (90%) were ad and only 20 (10%) were ay. The w and r specificities were also determined in 125 of the samples: 123 were w; the 2 samples of r specificity were from Toronto. On the other hand, among 45 sera from patients with acute hepatitis type B in Quebec 13 (29%) were ad and 33 (71%) ay.
