Prevalence of HBeAg and anti-HBe in blood donors with HBs antigenemia.

250 HBsAg-positive sera from apparently healthy blood donors were tested for HBeAg and anti-HBe by immunodiffusion(ID) and counterelectrophoresis(CEP). HBeAg was identified in 2.4% and anti-HBe in 34% of the sera. After serum concentration a larger rate of both HBeAg and anti-HBe could be detected by ID. There was no difference in sensitivity between ID and CEP techniques in the detection of the e-system. There was no correlation between HBeAg or anti-HBe and HBsAg subtypes. Generally sera containing HBeAg showed higher titers of HBsAg in complement fixation.