[Presence of macromolecular HBe antigen linked to HBs antigen with masked epitopes in the serum of patients actively reproducing hepatitis B virus].

At the onset of hepatitis B and more generally in some other types of this infection implying active replication of hepatitis B virus, HBe Ag is detected in the serum as macromolecular complexes with more or less masked epitopes. At the same time, HBe Ag appears bound to HBs Ag as shown by a radioimmunological assay on solid phase, implying anti-HBs and anti-HBe specificities in the same test.