We followed the evolution of the Australian antigen (Au ag) in hepatitis in a 36-year-old patient with acute myeloblastic leukemia during a systematic study of Au ag in the serum. The patient suffered two bouts of icterus. The first one occurred during a rifamycin treatment; when the treatment was suspended, the results of liver function tests returned to normal within five days. The second bout was associated with elevated levels of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase of 110 units.
The results of the immunological tests are shown in the Table. Electron microscopy of the serum samples of Dec 23 showed the large particles aggregated in groups of 3 to 22. From 5 to 20 aggregations of Dane particles (Figure) can be counted per grid. The particles are 27 to 30 nm long; they were found in the subsequent serum samples but were no longer aggregated after