Author information
1 Department of Emergency Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, UC Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, US.
2 Virology Institute "Dr. J.M. Vanella", Faculty of Clinical Sciences, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, AR.
3 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL.
4 Department of Gastroenterology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, ET.
5 Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, US.
Abstract
Chronic Hepatitis B (HBV) is the most important cause of liver disease worldwide. There is a need for low-cost tests to aid in diagnosis and management of HBV infection in resource-limited settings. We evaluated the utility of several rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) in three different continents (Europe, South America, Africa). The HBsAg RDT showed optimal sensitivity and specificity. The anti-HBeAb RDT showed acceptable sensitivity and excellent specificity. Our results suggest that these RDTs could be used for screening and management of HBV.