Hepatitis B e (Envelop) Antigen Test

Hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) test is conducted to diagnose Hepatitis B virus infection in the initial stages of infection in a patient. Hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) is detectable in the early phase of hepatitis B infection soon after hepatitis B surface antigen becomes detectable. Because of viral replication, serum levels of both antigens rise rapidly. More HBeAg in the blood indicates hepatitis B virus (HBV) infectivity, the number of viral Dane particles, the presence of core antigen in the nucleus of the hepatocyte, and presence of viral DNA polymerase in serum. In patients with chronic hepatitis B or in HBV carriers positive HBeAg results usually indicate the presence of active HBV replication and high infectivity and a negative HBeAg result indicates very minimal or lack of HBV replication.

Wear a half-sleeved shirt on as full-sleeved shirt might pose difficulty in pulling up the sleeves. Do not wear sweater or jacket. The patient should avoid taking multivitamins or dietary supplements containing biotin or vitamin B7 which are present in hair, skin and nail supplements and multivitamins for 24 hours before this blood collection. If your blood sample is needed for other tests then fasting may be required in some cases. Please kindly follow the instructions given by the lab.

This test is used to check for Hepatitis B infection in a patient. If HBeAg results are positive, then the patient is found to be infected with Hepatitis-B virus, if it is negative then the patient is presumed to be free from Hepatitis-B infection. HBeAg – positive HBeAg - negative

About 1 ml or just 2 teaspoons of the blood sample will be drawn from your body. This test needs to be conducted in a well-equipped diagnostic lab with HBeAg test facility. The skin is cleaned with an alcohol pad. In the next step, the needle will be inserted into the body through the vein which is easily visible over the cleaned skin. The blood sample will be collected through the tube attached to the needle which contains the serum gel. The tube is separated from the needle and closed with a lid and with the patient’s name on it. The blood sample tube is shaken down to remove serum from the clot and then it is sent to the research laboratory for examination.