Hepatitis B Core Antibody Positive Donors

UC Davis has increased the number of organs available for transplant by using kidneys from donors who test positive for the hepatitis B core antibody. This means the donor was exposed to hepatitis B in the past but does not have an active infection. These kidneys are only given to patients who already have protection (antibodies) against hepatitis B.

Doctors will run extra tests to make sure the donor does not have the active hepatitis B virus in their blood. It is very rare for the virus to be active, but the test takes a few days. Because of this, the results are not ready before the transplant surgery. To keep the patient safe, doctors will give medication after the transplant until the test results come back. If the test shows the virus is present, the patient will continue taking the medication for a longer time.

Medicines that treat hepatitis B work very well and are usually easy for patients to take. UC Davis has safely done many transplants using kidneys from donors who tested positive for the hepatitis B core antibody.