Invitrogen™ Hepatitis B Virus Core Antigen Monoclonal Antibody (1-5)

The hepatitis B virus is an important cause of acute and chronic liver disease. It is also the most common form of parenterally transmitted viral hepatitis. Hepatitis B virus is spherical in shape with a diameter of 42nm. It contains a 27 nm partially double stranded DNA core enclosed within a lipoprotein coat. The antigenic activity of the nucleocapsid core is designated as hepatitis B core antigen. The antigens in the outer surface are called as hepatitis B virus surface antigens. Core antigens are localized within the nuclei whereas the surface antigens are present in the cytoplasm of the infected cells. Antibodies to surface antigens appear in circulation at an early stage of infection whereas the antibodies to the core antigens are detected after several weeks. The virus is estimated to affect some 350 million people worldwide. Immunization against hepatitis B is an important component of preventative medicine and is offered to all children in approximately 30 countries. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) belongs to the Hepadnaviridae family and infection with HBV is usually more serious than infection with hepatitis A virus. In some individuals the infection is not cleared and followed by persistent intracellular viral carriage that can lead to the development of hepatocelular carcinomas. There are currently 400 million HBV carriers worldwide making HBV one of the most common human pathogens.