Kinetics of hepatitis B surface antigen-specific immune responses in acute and chronic hepatitis B or After HBs vaccination: Stimulation of thein vitroantibody response by interferon gamma

Because cellular and humoral immune responses against the hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBs) might be crucial to overcome HBV infection, HBs-specific B- and T-cell responses of HBV patients and HBs vaccine recipients were analyzed quantitatively and functionally. In patients with acute hepatitis B (AHB), transient high anti-HBs-secreting B-cell frequencies were observed early after clinical onset, whereas 1 patient who probably developed chronic infection and chronic HBV carriers had absent or weak B- and T-cell responses. In HBs vaccine recipients, maximal HBs-specific B- and T-cell responses were detected after the first injection that decreased gradually before anti-HBs antibo…