RESUMO
A group of 1,479 employees in 19 Buenos Aires hospitals were tested for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) to identify those who should be vaccinated against this infection. The average age of the subjects was 38.22 years; 70.86% of them were women and 85.5% were working in services where the risk of infection was high. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used, and the data were analyzed by the chi-square test. The results showed that 1,257 subjects (85.0%) did not have anti-HBc and thus were considered candidates for vaccination. The antibody was present in 222 individuals (15.0%). The prevalence of anti-HBc increased with age and with length of service, and it was greater in laboratory technicians, nurses, and those in high-risk services. These differences were statistically significant (P less than 0.01). A total of 23 carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen (AgHBs) were identified. In high-risk groups, vaccination against hepatitis B should be preceded by serological screening of susceptible individuals; the use of anti-HBc for this purpose allows carriers of AgHBs to be identified. The high prevalence of anti-HBc in laboratory technicians, nurses, and nurses' aides might justify their systematic vaccination.
