Semiquantitative Measurement of Hepatitis B Virus e Antigen by Elecsys 2010 Immunoanalyzer in Lamivudine Treated Patients

Park, Do Sim; Lee, Young Jin; Cho, Ji Hyun; Choi, Bok Hee

Abstract

BACKGROUND
These days the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA quantitation is the common tool for defining the viral replication state and antiviral therapeutic effect. However, it has a slow turn around time due to a labour intensive complex procedure. The HBeAg assay is a simple, rapid test, but it gives only qualitative information. However, Elecsys 2010 immunoanalyzer (Roche Diag-nostics GmbH, Germany) gives not only qualitative information but also semiquantitative information. So, we want to know about the clinical utility of HBeAg semiquantitation on Elecsys 2010. METHODS: HBeAg and HBV DNA were measured serially for 18 months by Elecsys 2010 and the Hybrid Capture System (HCS; Digene Corporation, Gaithersburg, USA) respectively to evaluate their general correlations (n=287) and serial-changing patterns after lamivudine treatment (n=30, 12-18 months) in 41 patients positive for HBeAg and HBV DNA. RESULTS: Positive correlation was found between the semiquantitative results of HBeAg and the quantitative results of HBV DNA (R=0.56, P<0.05). At two and five months after lamivudine treatment, significant differences (P<0.05) between HBV DNA disappearance groups (group 2, 3) and the HBV DNA remnant group (group 4) were found in the HBeAg level and a decreasing rate. The serial HBeAg and HBV DNA level and the decreasing rate showed a similar pattern in the HBV DNA disappearance groups (group 2, 3). However, a markedly delayed decreasing pattern in the HBeAg level was observed in the HBV DNA remnant group, when compared with HBV DNA. CONCLUSIONS: HBeAg semiquantitation using Elecsys 2010 would provide a cost effective, fast and valuable, and supplementary monitoring tool when the result might be reported in quantity in a dynamic range, because HBeAg semiquantitation could provide an outline of the HBV replication state HBeAg positive patients and a therapeutic predictive value in HBeAg positive, lamivudine treated patients.