High levels of serum hepatitis B virus DNA in patients with 'anti-HBc alone': role of HBsAg mutants.

It remains unclear how the detection of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) in the absence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody (anti-HBs) should be interpreted and whether all patients with this pattern need to be tested for hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA. This study aimed at reassessing the significance of 'anti-HBc alone' in unselected sera referred to the clinical laboratory and determining whether significant HBV viraemia can be found in this setting. Of the 6431 patients tested for HBsAg, total anti-HBc and anti-HBs in a Paris hospital over a 1-year period, 362 (5.

[Interpretation of questionable syphilis serologies].

Serologic tests are essential for the diagnosis of syphilis. In symptomatic patients, serodiagnosis confirms the clinical diagnosis. During the asymptomatic stage, interpretation of serologic tests is more difficult, either because of low serologic titres or because of discrepant serologies.

Full spectrum of clinical, serological, and epidemiological features of complicated forms of Lyme borreliosis in the Paris, France, area.

The aim of this study was to report the clinical, serological and epidemiological features of a homogeneous cohort of patients with various forms of Lyme borreliosis, based on recent European case-definition guidelines. Complete clinical and epidemiological reports were requested from the patients' physicians for case definition. Enzyme immunoassay IgG and IgM screening tests were performed.

[Lyme borreliosis: therapeutic aspects].

Unlabelled: CAUSAL AGENTS: Several Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species have been recently described which cause different clinical forms of Lyme disease. B. garinii is implicated in neurological forms, B.