Information on hepatitis virus testing

About Hepatitis B Virus Test

This is a blood test to determine if a person is infected with the hepatitis B virus. The test detects the HBs antigen, a protein on the surface of the hepatitis B virus.

Result Judgment

If the HBs antigen is negative,

You are not infected with hepatitis B virus. Keep in mind the date when you were tested. If you have any subjective symptoms, take the test again.
Note: If there is a possibility of HBV infection even if HBs antigen is negative.

If the HBs antigen is positive,

You are infected with hepatitis B virus. A visit to a medical institution is strongly recommended. Visit a specialist at least once. If the HBs antigen is positive, further tests will be conducted at a medical institution to determine the current state of infection.

test item	test result
HBs antigen	If positive, you are infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV).
HBs antibody	If positive, you were infected in the past and subsequently cured; it can also be positive if you were vaccinated against HBV.
HBc antibody	If positive, you are infected with HBV. (HBV vaccination does not result in a positive result.)
HBc-IgM antibody	This indicates recent HBV infection.
HBe antigen	If positive, it generally indicates a strong proliferative capacity of HBV.
HBe antibody	If positive, it generally indicates that the proliferative capacity of HBV has decreased.
HBV-DNA	This measures the viral load of HBV in the blood.

About Hepatitis C Virus Test

To determine if you are infected with hepatitis C virus, a test to detect antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV) is performed (HCV antibody test) . If the test is positive, the HCV antibody titer is measured subsequently. If the HCV antibody titer test is used for primary screening, the HCV antibody test is not performed (can be omitted). Based on the results, if necessary, a test to detect the viral gene of HCV (HCV nucleic acid amplification test) is performed to make a comprehensive judgment.

Result Judgment

If the HCV antibody is negative,

You are unlikely to be currently infected with hepatitis C virus. (Judgment reason: 3, 4, and 5 in the figure below)

If the HCV antibody is positive,

You are likely to be currently infected with hepatitis C virus. (Judgment reason: 1 and 2 in the figure below)

Source: 2012 MHLW grants (Emergency Countermeasure Project against Hepatitis etc.)

"Study on Hepatitis Virus Infection Status, Long-Term Course and Prognosis, and Measures to Introduce Treatment" Principal Investigator: Junko Tanaka (Professor, Hiroshima University)

Report on "New Procedures for Hepatitis C Virus Testing"