[An information subsystem for the epidemiological surveillance of hepatitis B].

The improvement of prophylaxis and the decrease of morbidity rate in hepatitis B are possible on the basis of the introduction of the information subsystem of epidemiological surveillance into practical health service, including health service in rural areas. The necessity of ensuring the specificity of highly sensitive immunodiagnostic techniques by using the combination of these techniques and competitive radioimmunoassay, as well as increasing their availability by the cooperation of laboratories at the district and regional levels, is emphasized.

[Erroneous information in the epidemiological surveillance of hepatitis B].

False positive results obtained in the determination of the immune markers of hepatitis A by the methods of the passive reverse hemagglutination test and the enzyme immunoassay distort the course of the registration of the epidemic process and deteriorate the quality of the antiepidemic measures ensured to the population. The necessity of the standardization of available test systems is postulated.

[The importance of clinical laboratory data in the differential diagnosis of group hepatitis B diseases].

Group disease with hepatitis B (or A against the background of chronic HBsAg carrier state) may be diagnosed (or excluded) on the basis of high (or low) detectability of HBsAg in patients with jaundice. Perfection of epidemiological diagnosis is possible with implementation of indication of not less than three immunological markers: HBsAg, IgM anti-Hbs, IgM anti-HAV.

[Screening by the method of radioimmunologic analysis].

To simplify the technique of radioimmunoassay, rubber holders were used that held the test tubes when the solid phase was washed with flow water. Instead of hermetically sealing the test tubes during incubation of the test samples and labeled antiserum, the authors have placed the samples in a polyethylene bath with wet cloth.