Manual for the surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases

Chapter 4 of: Manual for the surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases. 5th Edition, 2011.Hepatitis B is caused by infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), a double-stranded DNA virus of the family hepadnaviridae. HBV replicates in the liver and causes both acute and chronic hepatitis. Although the highest concentrations of virus are found in blood, other body fluids, such as semen and saliva, also have been demonstrated to contain HBV. Thus, HBV is predominantly a blood and sexually transmitted infection and is transmitted by percutaneous and mucosal exposure to infectious body fluids.chpt04-hepb.pdf2011677