A nursing student has just completed her hepatitis B vaccine series. On reviewing her laboratory studies (assuming she has no prior exposure to hepatitis B), you Expect:: (A) Positive test for hepatitis B surface antigen, (B) Antibody against hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBS) alone, (C) Antibody against hepatitis core antigen (anti-HBC), (D) Antibody against both surface and core antigen
Answer is B. Ans. B. Antibody against hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBS) alonea. The current hepatitis B vaccine is genetically engineered to consist of hepatitis B surface antigen particles.b. Therefore, only antibody to surface antigen will be detected after vaccination.c. Since the patient has had no exposure to hepatitis B, she should be surface antigen-negative; surface antigen positivity means active disease, either acute or chronic.d. Patients who have recovered from hepatitis B have HBS ab and HBC ab.