[Hepatitis BS-antigen and hepatis BS-antibodies in partners of HBSAg-positive patients with chronic liver diseases. A contribution to the contagiousness of hepatitis B].

By radioimmuno-assay we found HBSAg in 4.2% and HBS-Antibodies in 60% in a group of 120 partners of patients with HBSAg-positive chronic liver diseases. The high incidence of HBS-antibodies in the group of partners is supposed to be due to a transmission of very small amounts of HBSAg containing material in a way of occult immunisation. There were no significant relations to the sex of the partners nor the age of the patients or the activity and duration of the disease. Our clinical investigations do not support demands for a strict isolation of patients with positive HBSAg findings nor do they imply that health-care workers should change their professions in case of HBS-antigenemia.