Adaptation to infectious disease. Australia antigen and hepatitis

Infectious diseases have probably acted as selective forces to generate polymorphisms in human populations. An example is given of a study related to this concept. There is evidence that “Australia antigen” is a hepatitis virus or closely associated with it. In some tropical populations there appears to be an inherited susceptibility to chronic infection with “Au(1) virus” controlled by a simple genetic mechanism. There are strikingly different frequencies of Australia antigen in different populations and these may have been determined by differences in the selective pressures in different environments.     

Compound d+y+ particles of Australia antigen.

Australia antigen (HB8 Ag) particles vary in their antigenic structure. They are generally found to carry either determinant d or determinant y, but not both. This report describes seven sera which contain Australia antigen carrying both d and y on the same particle.     

Studies on the Australia antigen

Summary Australia antigen typings on leprosy and control samples from West Bengal (India) and Angola (Africa) showed a considerably higher incidence of this antigen in lepromatous lepers as compared with other types of this disease resp. controls. By this the findings of Blumberg et al. (1967) in the Philippines could be confirmed. The possible reasons for this observations are discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Untersuchungen an Leprakranken und gesunden Kontrollen aus West-bengalen (Indien) und Angola (Afrika) ließen bei lepromatösen Leprösen eine beträchtlich höhere Häufigkeit des Australia-Antigens erkennen als bei nichtlepromatösen Leprösen und gesunden Kontrollen. Damit können die Beobachtungen von Blumberg et al. (1967) auf den Philippinen bestätigt werden. Die möglichen Ursachen dieser Assoziationen werden diskutiert.

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Supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.