What Is Hepatitis B Core Antibody?

Hepatitis involves liver inflammation, and hepatitis B is caused by one of several hepatitis viruses. Many people with hepatitis B do not have symptoms, and the diagnosis often is made through a blood test for an antibody or antigen.

Blood Test Information

• Hepatitis B blood tests can indicate if the individual has a new infection, has recovered from a previous infection or has a chronic infection.

Antigens and Antibodies

• Antigens are foreign substances in the body, such as bacteria or viruses, that can produce an immune response often indicated by the production of antibody proteins. These antibodies usually protect people from being infected again. Antibodies also may appear in a blood test due to a vaccination.

Core Antigens and Antibodies

• The hepatitis B core antibody is technically the anti-hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). The hepatitis B core antibody is the first antibody to appear after an acute hepatitis B infection.

Persistence

• The appearance of the hepatitis B core antibody in a blood test indicates previous or ongoing hepatitis B infection. It continues to appear in high levels both following resolution of the infection and in chronically infected patients.

Surface Antigens and Antibodies

• Current infection can be verified by checking for the hepatitis B surface antigen, which indicates infection if the test is positive. Resolved infection is detected by the presence of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAb), whereas in chronic infection hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) itself is typically present.