Incidence and nature of cytoplasmic hepatitis B antigen in hepatocytes.
Hepatitis B antigen (HB Ag) in the hepatocytic cytoplasm is detected by immunofluorescence after reaction with fluoresceinated antiserum to HB Ag or by electron microscopy as numerous 20- to 30-nm. tubular and circular structures in dilated cisternae of excess endoplasmic reticulum. On light microscopy, these hepatocytes can be recognized because their cytoplasm has a ground-glass appearance and stains with Gomori's aldehyde fuchsin. Aldehyde fuchsin-positive ground-glass hepatocytes were detected in all 14 asymptomatic carriers of HB Ag and in 16 of 60 HB Ag-seropositive patients with chronic hepatitis, but not in HB Ag-seropositive acute viral hepatitis or in various other HB Ag-seronegative liver diseases. These cells are helpful in identifying on light microscopy HB Ag carriers and a portion of patients with HB Ag-positive chronic hepatitis. Nuclear HB Ag did not stain with aldehyde fuchsin. Nucleic acids were not detected in the ground-glass cytoplasm by special stains at the light or electron microscopic level. We suggest that the tubular and circular structures in the hepatocytic cytoplasm are coat material of the hepatitis B virus or virally coded host cell reaction product rather than the complete hepatitis B virus.[1]References
- Incidence and nature of cytoplasmic hepatitis B antigen in hepatocytes. Gerber, M.A., Hadziyannis, S., Vernace, S., Vissoulis, C. Lab. Invest. (1975) [Pubmed]
Annotations and hyperlinks in this abstract are from individual authors of WikiGenes or automatically generated by the WikiGenes Data Mining Engine. The abstract is from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.About WikiGenesOpen Access LicencePrivacy PolicyTerms of Useapsburg
