[High percentage of isolated anti-HBc-positive persons among prisoners]. / Hoher Prozentsatz isoliert anti-HBc-positiver Personen unter Strafgefangenen.

PURPOSE: Is the result "isolated Anti-HBc" higher among prisoners than in the normal population and can testing for HBV-DNA clarify the results? PATIENTS AND METHODS: In Berlin, 519 prisoners were serologically tested in 1994 for hepatitis-B and -C because of intravenous drug abuse and alcohol disease or signs of hepatitis. Beside virus antigen and antibodies, HBV-DNA was also measured by hybridisation technique or PCR. RESULTS: 50.3% of all individuals showed markers of hepatitis-B and 36.8% of hepatitis-C. 19.2% of persons with hepatitis B markers were positive for anti HBc only, i.e. more than twice as many than in the normal population. 90% of the isolated anti-HBc-positive Persons were also anti-HCV positive, which is nearly double the number of individuals with other patterns of HBV markers. Half of them were tested for HBV-DNA. Whereas the hybridisation technique failed to detect HBV-DNA, 36% of sera were found positive by HBV-PCR. CONCLUSION: This study shows again that the result "anti-HBc alone" is relatively frequent especially among prisoners. This pattern often seems associated with concurrent HCV-infection and in one third of the cases correlated with a chronic hepatitis-B. The result of an isolated anti-HBc should therefore always lead to further testing of anti-HCV and HBV-DNA by PCR.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype distribution in German isolates: studies on the sequence variability in the E2 and NS5 region.

We report on molecular characterization of hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates in intravenous drug abusers, as compared to non-drug using patients with posttransfusion hepatitis or sporadic hepatitis of unknown origin. Virus typing was performed by RFLP analysis of PCR products in the 5' NCR. Subtyping was done by hybridization with subtype specific probes or by sequencing in the NS4 and NS5 region, respectively. HCV subtype 1b was found most commonly among all the isolates. However, the subtype 3a had a high prevalence (about 46%) in the group of drug addicts. In these subtype 3a isolates the N-terminal part of the E2 protein was highly variable. This confirms the presence of a hypervariable region (HVR1) in this envelope protein found in all hepatitis C viruses. Each subtype 3a isolate examined had a characteristic unique hypervariable region in the E2 protein. It is noteworthy that there are four amino acids in this region which were highly conserved between all HCV sequences published. It can be assumed that such conserved amino acids are significant for structure and function of this viral protein. In our HCV subtype 3a isolates the NS5 sequences were highly conserved.

[Chronic recurrent fever as the sole symptom of Yersinia enterocolitica infection]. / Chronisch rezidivierendes Fieber als Monosymptom bei Yersinia-enterocolitica-Infektion.

Recurrent fever lasting for nine months up to ten years occurred in seven women and three men, with fever of up to 39 degrees C lasting from two to seven days. All patients had travelled outside of Germany at least one year previously. Micro-Widal reaction revealed antibodies against Yersinia enterocolitica (serotype 0:3 or 0:9), with a titre of between 1:80 and 1:1280. Antibiotic treatment (doxycycline or cotrimoxazole) brought cure in all ten. The antibody titres fell in seven of nine patients; titres could not be followed in one.

[The detection of HIV antibodies in blood stains]. / Uber den Nachweis von HIV-Antikörpern in Blutspuren.

Blood samples were collected on cotton wool and stored at +20 degrees C. These samples were tested in an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and the immunoblotting test. HIV-antibodies could be detected in samples stored up to four month.

[Demonstration of HBs antigen with the hepanostika test, an enzyme immunoassay (author's transl)]. / Der Nachweis von HBs-Antigen mit dem Hepanostika-test, einem Enzymimmunoassay.

Sensitivity, specificity and practicability of the Hepanostika test, a newly developed enzyme immunoassay by organon Teknika for the demonstration of HBs-antigen, was compared with results of the Aursria II 125 test. Smallest demonstrable concentration of the antigen in the Hepanostika test eas 3.125 ng/ml with antigens of subgroup ad and 2.08 ng/ml in those of subgroup ay, while it was 1.04 ng/ml for both subgroups with the Austria test. Among 2930 blood donors 85 antigen carriers were discovered by both tests, while with the Hepanostison test, a passive haemagglutination test from Oranon, only nine were discovered. In serial blood samples of patients with various disease there was only a slight difference between the two tests. The Hepanostika test had 1.6--3.88% nonspecific reactions, compared with 0.5-0.8% with the Ausria II 125 test. Both tests thus gave much more specific results than passive haemagglutination. The Hepanostika test is thus a satisfactory alternative to the Ausria test. Because of its high sensitivity it can be recommended for the diagnosis of HBs antigen among blood donors and in clinical laboratories.