The presence of Type B viral (Australia antigen related serum) hepatitis in vaginal specimens was investigated and compared with that in saliva specimens in a group of patients during the acute phase of their illness. Hepatitis B surface antigen was detectable in most vaginal and salivary secretions during the phase of antigenemia and not in hepatitis B surface antigen negative controls. Despite care in collection, occult blood was detected in the majority of specimens, but the positivity for hepatitis B surface antigen did not depend on the presence of occult blood. Recovery studies were performed in both vaginal fluids and saliva to determine if inhibitors to hepatitis B surface antigen were similar to those observed in stool samples. Significant inhibition was not observed. Although infectivity of the specimens was not established from this study, handling of these specimens as potentially infective material is recommended.
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