A 23-Year-Old Man Comes to the Physician Due to a 2-Month

question 257

Multiple Choice

A 23-year-old man comes to the physician due to a 2-month history of fatigue, malaise, and abdominal discomfort.  He is found to have tender hepatomegaly with elevated liver function tests.  The patient has never been vaccinated against hepatitis.  He has had no raw or uncooked foods recently and recalls no ill contacts.  There is no history of blood transfusion.  The patient is a graduate student who immigrated to the United States 2 years ago and has not traveled outside the country since.  He smokes 2 packs of cigarettes a day and consumes 1 or 2 bottles of beer on weekends.  The patient does not use illicit drugs.  He has had several episodes of unprotected sex with different female partners within the past year.  Which of the following is most likely to be present in this patient?

• A)HAV in the stool
• B)Serum anti-HAV IgM
• C)Serum anti-HBsAg IgG
• D)Serum HBsAg
• E)Hepatitis C virus RNA viral load in blood
• F)Serum anti-hepatitis D virus IgG