Regulation of the Immune Response to Hepatitis B Virus and Human Serum Albumin

The circulatory pool of B cells, from donors immune to hepatitis B (HB) through natural infection, contained sensitized B cells with the capacity to secrete antibodies with specificity for human serum albumin (HSA) when stimulated with purified hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in vitro. The immunoglobulin secretion was dependent upon and regulated by T cells and specifically induced, since it was not obtained in cell cultures from HB-susceptible donors. Culture supernatants with anti-HSA reactivity also contained specific antibodies to HBsAg (anti-HBs), indicating that the outer coat of HBV normally provokes an immune response to both the viral antigen and a 'self' component. Perturbation in the regulation of the immune response triggered by HSA in association with HBV/HBsAg particles may involve a putative risk for development of chronic HBsAg carriership.