Double sequential counterimmunoelectrophoresis (DCIEP): an improved method for detection of hepatitis-B antigen (HBAg).

A method is described for increasing the sensitivity of conventional counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIEP), i.e. double sequential counterimmunoelectrophoresis (DCIEP). Our method consists of a second electrophoretic migration made after the classical CIEP, where instead of HB antibody (from polytransfused patients), the anodic wells are filled with an antihuman-gammaglobulin antiserum. DCIEP is significantly more sensitive than CIEP (P less than 0.01), the number of positive sera in chronic lever diseases being 28.7% compared with 17.5%.