A Study Comparing Serological And Molecular Methods For Hepatitis B Virus Diagnosis

Abstract

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes hepatitis B, an infection of the liver that may be fatal if left untreated. On a worldwide scale, it poses a serious threat to public health. People with this condition are at increased risk for developing cirrhosis and liver cancer, and they may also have persistent infections. Between ten and fifteen percent of the world's HBV carriers live in India. Roughly 40 million people in India are thought to be HBV carriers. Cirrhosis, liver cancer, and early mortality are among the complications that around 15–25% of HBsAg carriers may face.
The hepadnavir family includes HBV. The DNA that makes it up is relaxed-circular DNA, which is half double-stranded. One strand is incomplete and does not code for anything, while the other is partly double-stranded and is known as the negative strand. The genome of the herpes simplex virus (HBV) has four primary overlapping reading frames: S, C, P, and X. Serological and virological indicators provide the basis of laboratory diagnosis.
Thirty to sixty days after HBV exposure, HBsAg may be found in the blood, and it stays there for different amounts of time. Molecular techniques are mostly used for the detection of nucleic acids.
Two patients had positive results for HBsAg when tested with the Meriscreen HBsAg card, and four patients had positive results for HBV DNA when tested with the PCR. People in the 21–30 age bracket were the most often impacted. It was men that made up 75% of the HBsAg positive cases. The method of dissemination that was greatest (15.2%) was blood transfusion. A total of 40.9% of the participants in this research were not immunised. A 66.7% sensitivity and a 100% specificity were achieved by the PCR.
Untreated hepatitis B infection is a serious public health concern in underdeveloped nations such as India. In order to reduce the infection rates, vaccination is quite important. In order to reduce mortality and morbidity, early diagnosis and treatment are crucial. It is possible to identify HBV infection using either serology or molecular techniques. The PCR assay has a diagnostic accuracy rate of 75%, a positive predictive value of 100%, and a specificity of 100% when it comes to detecting HBV DNA in blood or serum.