HBsAg + anti-HCV

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)

About the Test

 The screening test for hepatitis B surface antigens detects the presence of HBV in the blood. The antigens are detectable 4–10 weeks after exposure to HBV. A positive test result means the person is currently infected and can pass the infection to others. Most adults who acquire HBV clear the virus within a few months, and their hepatitis B surface antigen test result will be negative after that time. Some people remain infected and continue to test positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. If, after 6 months, the person still tests positive, his or her HBV infection is considered chronic.

Purpose of the tests

HBsAg is used to screen for & detect infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) – it is the earliest indicator of acute infection & may be present before symptoms appear. Also present in patients with chronic infection.

The course of HBV infections can vary from a mild form (acute) that lasts only a few weeks to a more serious, chronic, form lasting years. Sometimes chronic HBV leads to serious complications such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. 

Before the tests

No test preparation is required to ensure the quality of the sample. 

Hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV)

About the Tests

The test for hepatitis C virus (HCV) detects antibodies to HCV in the blood, but the results are not clear-cut and should be interpreted carefully. A “positive” HCV antibody test could mean the person is a chronic carrier of HCV (75 percent to 85 percent), has been infected but has resolved infection (15 percent to 25 percent), or is one of the few recently (acutely) infected (CDC, 2010c). Following HCV infection, it usually takes at least 6–8 weeks for the body to develop enough antibodies to be measured in a screening test, but it can take longer. 

A positive HCV antibody test means the person was infected with the virus; it does not always mean the person is still infected. Up to 25 percent of people infected with HCV successfully clear the virus from their systems within 6 months after being infected, but the antibody remains present in the screening test.

Purpose of the tests

Hepatitis C(HCV) screening is recommended in the following cases: 

• At least once in a lifetime for all adults aged 18 years and older

• Hepatitis C screening for all pregnant women during each pregnancy

• People with HIV

• People who ever injected drugs and shared needles, syringes, or other drug preparation equipment, including those who injected once or a few times many years ago

• People with selected medical conditions, including:

• people who ever received maintenance hemodialysis

• people with persistently abnormal ALT levels

• Prior recipients of transfusions or organ transplants, including:

• people who received clotting factor concentrates produced before 1987

• people who received a transfusion of blood or blood components before July 1992

• people who received an organ transplant before July 1992

• people who were notified that they received blood from a donor who later tested positive for HCV infection

• For health care, emergency medicine, and public safety workers after needlesticks, sharps, or mucosal exposure to HCV-positive blood 

• For people with evidence of chronic liver disease

Before the tests

No test preparation is needed.