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By means of counterelectrophoresis (CEP) HBs-Ag and anti-HBs were found in the serum of a patient with a third episode of virus hepatitis. Presence of HBs-Ag was confirmed by complement fixation (CF) and immunodiffusion (AGD) but the antibody was not demonstrated by these methods. The subtype of HBsAg in this case was ayw and the antibody was monospecific anti-HBs/d. The presence of HBsAg and anti-HBs differing in specificity was due, probably, to double infection with HB viruses of different subtypes--ayw and adw in this case.

A total of 187 sera positive for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBSAg) were collected from blood banks and clinics representative for the various regions of Poland. 139 sera were from symptomless carriers of HBSAg, 34 sera--from patients with acute hepatitis, and 14 sera--from patients with chronic hepatitis. In the group of HBSAg carriers, subtype HBSAg/adw was found in 80,6% of cases, and sybtype HBSAg/ayw--in 19.4% of cases; in patients with acute hepatitis subtype adw was found in 82,5% of cases, and subtype ayw--in 17,5% of cases; in patients with chronic hepatitis subtype adw was found in 78,6% of cases, and subtype ayw--in 21,4% of cases.

In a material of 768 sera obtained from blood donors and patients and 150 sera containing HBs antigen it was investigated whether the available animal sera (horse, swine, goat) with anti-HBs antibodies meet the requirements of diagnostic sera. It was found that none of these anti-HBs animal sera was better than the human serum used as yet. Only the specificity of horse anti-HBs antibodies was equal to the human serum, hence horse serum could be used for diagnostic purposes in routine investigations by the precipitation and complement fixation method. The swine and goat sera did not ensure detection of all HBs antigens which are detected using human or horse serum.