Skip to main content
PMC home page
The American Journal of Pathology logoLink to The American Journal of Pathology
. 1975 Dec;81(3):479–492.

Localization of hepatitis B surface antigen in conventional paraffin sections of the liver. Comparison of immunofluorescence, immunoperoxidase, and orcein staining methods with regard to their specificity and reliability as antigen marker.

N C Nayak, R Sachdeva
PMCID: PMC2032332  PMID: 55076

Abstract

Hepatitis B antigen (HBAg) has been demonstrated in conventional formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded liver tissue by peroxidase and fluorescent immunostaining as well as by orcein. Complete locational and morphologic identity is seen between material stained by specific immunologic methods and by orcein. The antigen is restricted to the cytoplasm and is generally observed in the hepatocyte; it is present in three morphologic forms. Certain morphologic forms can even be identified in hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue. Results of immunostaining procedures indicate that the antigen demonstrated in this study consists entirely of surface coat of hepatitis B virus (HBsAg). This seems to be the only component revealed by orcein staining. The latter is considered to be a good marker of the surface antigen and to have certain advantages over immunostaining. It is suggested that suitability of conventional paraffin sections for the detection of HBAg has wide and important implications.

Full text

PDF
488

Images in this article

491Figures 1-5
on p.491
492Figure 6
on p.492
492Figure 7
on p.492
492Figure 8
on p.492
492Figure 9
on p.492
492Figure 10
on p.492

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Almeida J. D. Individual morphological variations seen in Australia antigen positive sera. Am J Dis Child. 1972 Apr;123(4):303–309. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1972.02110100035013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Almeida J. D., Rubenstein D., Stott E. J. New antigen-antibody system in Australia-antigen-positive hepatitis. Lancet. 1971 Dec 4;2(7736):1225–1227. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(71)90543-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Blumberg B. S., Sutnick A. I., London W. T., Millman I. Australia antigen and hepatitis. N Engl J Med. 1970 Aug 13;283(7):349–354. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197008132830707. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brzosko W. J., Madaliński K., Krawczyński K., Nowoslawski A. Duality of hepatitis B antigen and its antibody. I. Immunofluorescence studies. J Infect Dis. 1973 Apr;127(4):424–428. doi: 10.1093/infdis/127.4.424. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dane D. S., Cameron C. H., Briggs M. Virus-like particles in serum of patients with Australia-antigen-associated hepatitis. Lancet. 1970 Apr 4;1(7649):695–698. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(70)90926-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Engelhardt N. V., Goussev A. I., Shipova L. J., Abelev G. I. Immunofluorescent study of alpha-foetoprotein (alpha-fp) in liver and liver liver tumours. I. Technique of alpha-fp localization in tissue sections. Int J Cancer. 1971 Mar 15;7(2):198–206. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910070203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gerber M. A., Hadziyannis S., Vissoulis C., Schaffner F., Paronetto F., Popper H. Electron microscopy and immunoelectronmicroscopy of cytoplasmic hepatitis B antigen in hepatocytes. Am J Pathol. 1974 Jun;75(3):489–502. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gyorkey F., Min K. W., Gyorkey P., Melnick J. L. Letter: Cytoplasmic localization of hepatitis B surface (viral coat) antigen (HBs Ag) by electron microscopy. N Engl J Med. 1974 Jun 27;290(26):1488–1489. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hadziyannis S., Gerber M. A., Vissoulis C., Popper H. Cytoplasmic hepatitis B antigen in "ground-glass" hepatocytes of carriers. Arch Pathol. 1973 Nov;96(5):327–330. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hadziyannis S., Moussouros A., Vissoulis C., Afroudakis A. Cytoplasmic localisation of Australia antigen in the liver. Lancet. 1972 May 6;1(7758):976–979. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(72)91153-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hoofnagle J. H., Gerety R. J., Barker L. F. Antibody to hepatitis-B-virus core in man. Lancet. 1973 Oct 20;2(7834):869–873. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)92004-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Huang S. N., Groh V. A study on antibodies produced with liver tissue containing Australia antigen and virus-like particles. Lab Invest. 1973 Dec;29(6):743–750. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Huang S. N., Groh V. Immunoagglutination electron microscopic study on virus-like particles and Australia antigen in liver tissue. Lab Invest. 1973 Oct;29(4):353–366. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Krugman S., Hoofnagle J. H., Gerety R. J., Kaplan P. M., Gerin J. L. Viral hepatitis, type B, DNA polymerase activity and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen. N Engl J Med. 1974 Jun 13;290(24):1331–1335. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197406132902401. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Liaw Y. F., Sung J. L., Shih P. L. [Hepatitis B antigen and alpha-fetoprotein in hepatoma in Taiwan]. Taiwan Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi. 1973 Aug;72(8):458–466. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Nayak N. C., Das P. K., Bhuyan U. N., Mittal A. Localization of alpha-fetoprotein in human and rat fetal livers. An immunohistochemical method using horseradish peroxidase. J Histochem Cytochem. 1974 Jun;22(6):414–418. doi: 10.1177/22.6.414. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nowoslawski A., Krawczyński K., Brzosko W. J., Madaliński K. Tissue localization of Australia antigen immune complexes in acute and chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Am J Pathol. 1972 Jul;68(1):31–56. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Prince A. M. The high voltage immunoelectroosmophoretic (IEOP) technique for detection of SH antigen: application to blood donor screening and to study of liver disease. Vox Sang. 1970 Sep-Oct;19(3):205–210. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Reys L. L., Sequeira O. A. Detection of Australia antigen (HBAg) in blood donors and hepatoma patients in Mozambique. S Afr Med J. 1974 Feb 13;48(7):267–269. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Shikata T. Australia antigen in liver tissue--an immunofluorescent and immunoelectron microscopic study. Jpn J Exp Med. 1973 Aug;43(4):231–245. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Shikata T., Uzawa T., Yoshiwara N., Akatsuka T., Yamazaki S. Staining methods of Australia antigen in paraffin section--detection of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies. Jpn J Exp Med. 1974 Feb;44(1):25–36. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Stein O., Fainaru M., Stein Y. Visualization of virus-like particles in endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes of Australia antigen carriers. Lab Invest. 1972 Mar;26(3):262–269. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sun S. C., Anderson K. E., Hsu C. P., Kau S. L. Hepatocellular ultrastructure in asymptomatic hepatitis B antigenemia. Arch Pathol. 1974 Jun;97(6):373–379. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Tapp E., Jones D. M., Anfield C., Whittaker J. S., Woolf I. L., Dymock I. W. Letter: Intranuclear particles in hepatocytes of HBAg-positive blood-donors. Lancet. 1974 May 11;1(7863):934–934. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)90389-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The American Journal of Pathology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Investigative Pathology

RESOURCES