Acute Hepatitis A

You answered:

A Because serologic testing for hepatitis A antibody is likely to be negative this early in the illness, a stool or serum PCR test for HAV would best confirm a diagnosis of acute HAV infection.

This answer is incorrect. Anti-hepatitis A IgM is almost always detectable at the onset of symptoms. In the rare case in which the initial test is negative but a strong clinical suspicion for hepatitis A remains, a repeat test is recommended in 1 to 2 weeks. Testing of stool or serum for HAV using PCR-based techniques is not routinely performed for diagnostic purposes.

Choose another answer:

B Her children are a highly unlikely source of her exposure to HAV since they have not shown any signs of jaundice.
C It is probable that her exposure to HAV occurred within the last 30 to 50 days.
D The degree of the elevation in her hepatic aminotransferase levels suggests she is at risk for chronic hepatitis A infection.

[Back to Question | Go to Correct Answer]