Development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for hepatitis B e antigen.

Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) in sera indicates infectivity and when found during pregnancy, indicates a need for vaccination against hepatitis B virus. A sensitive test for HBeAg is needed in all hospitals but this test is expensive. Local development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for HBeAg and its antibody (anti-HBe) was considered necessary and it was successfully conducted. The developed test was compared with ELISA test for HBeAg and anti-HBe manufactured by Organon Teknika (205 routine specimens and 103 sera positive for HBsAg) and Roche Diagnostic (160 routine specimens). The locally made and imported kits showed overall agreement of 97.5 to 98.1 per cent and the locally made test was always slightly more sensitive. The local test was also rapid, reproducible, and specific. The development lead to self reliance on ELISA test for HBeAg and anti-HBe.