Hepatitis B Core Antigen Total Test

Hepatitis B Core Antigen Total, also known as Anti-HBc, HBcAb Total test; is a blood test to detect acute and chronic Hepatitis B virus infections. The tests look for different signs of infection such as the Antigens, made by the viruses; Antibodies, made by the body to fight the infection; and Hepatitis B DNA, which is the genes of the virus and confirms its presence. The test detects both Hepatitis antibodies IgM and IgG,, and Hepatitis B core antigen. Those who had Hepatitis B vaccine will not have the core antibody in their blood.

No special preparation or fasting required. Biotin or Vitamin-B supplement consumption should be stopped at least 72 hours prior to the collection. About 2 ml of blood sample is taken from the vein in the arm. An elastic band is wrapped on the upper arm to restrict blood flow. This makes the veins visible and makes inserting the needle easy. The spot is cleaned with alcohol. The needle is inserted and when sufficient blood is collected, the armband is removed. The needle is withdrawn and the spot is pressed with a cotton swab.

This test is used in suspected cases of liver infection by HBV. It is also recommended in case of symptoms of Hepatitis B. The most common symptoms are; extreme fatigue, fever, muscle ache, nausea, jaundice, yellow eye and skin, dark urine, pale stool, and a few more. The test is also recommended when the person is at risk for being in contact with the virus through; sex with someone infected with the virus, sharing infected needles for therapeutic or drug use, health care professional in contact with infected blood, or children born to infected mothers.

In the lab, the collected blood specimen is centrifuged to separate the serum. The sample is tested by approved and certified proprietary systems such as the VITROS Immunodiagnostic System or the Abbott PRISM HBcore assay. This provides qualitative detection of IgG and IgM antibodies against HBV core antigen in the serum. The process used is known as chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay or CMIA. It enables diagnosis of acute, chronic or resolved HBV infection, while the test results are indicated as nonreactive, reactive or greyzone.