Skip to content
Blood Test Tracker

Hepatitis A antibody, total

Measures all hepatitis A antibodies (IgG and IgM) together. A positive result usually means you are immune from a past infection or the vaccine.

AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert reviewAlso called anti-HAV total, HAV totalLOINC 13951-9

What it is

Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver that spreads through contaminated food or water, or through close contact with an infected person. This test finds both IgG and IgM antibodies against the hepatitis A virus. IgG appears early in an infection, stays for life, and protects against the disease. Vaccination also produces it. Labs report the result as negative (non-reactive) or positive (reactive). A negative result means no hepatitis A antibodies were found at or above the test's detection limit.

Why it matters

This test shows whether you are likely to be immune. A clinician may order it before vaccination, before travel, or for work reasons. It is not the test for a current infection. If you have symptoms of hepatitis, an IgM test is the one used to check for that. The ACIP does not recommend routine testing before vaccination, and says testing after routine vaccination is not necessary. It does recommend testing after vaccination for people with HIV and others whose care depends on knowing their immune status.

If it’s high

A positive total antibody result usually means you are immune to hepatitis A, either from a past infection or from the vaccine, as long as the IgM test is negative. If you have symptoms, a positive total needs an IgM test to check whether the infection is current. Your vaccination record helps explain which it is.

Common causes

  • Hepatitis A vaccination
  • A past hepatitis A infection, often in childhood and often without symptoms
  • A current or recent infection, which an IgM test can help sort out

What can help

  • Keep your vaccination record with this result
  • If you have symptoms of hepatitis, ask whether an IgM test is needed

What can affect your result

  • Whether you have had the hepatitis A vaccine, and how long ago
  • Timing: antibodies are not yet measurable in the first days of an infection
  • Treatment with immune globulin, or antibodies passed from a mother to a baby
  • The lab's kit and detection limit
  • Timing: antibodies are not yet measurable in the first days of an infection.
  • A low antibody level after vaccination can fall below what the test can measure and read as negative.
  • Immune globulin treatment or antibodies passed from a mother to a baby can add antibodies that are not your own.
  • High-dose biotin supplements can affect some immunoassays. Mayo asks people to avoid biotin for 24 hours before the draw.

IgG appears early in an infection and stays for life (ACIP). When a vaccine response needs to be checked, as in people with HIV, ACIP advises testing at least 1 month after the series is complete.

When to talk to a clinician

A total antibody result is not urgent by itself. Contact a clinician promptly if you have yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, pale stools, belly pain, or nausea that keeps you from drinking fluids. Call 911 or your local emergency number for confusion, trouble staying awake, or bleeding that does not stop.

Questions you could ask

  • If my result is negative, is hepatitis A vaccination recommended for me?
  • Is a test after vaccination useful in my situation?
  • Why was this test ordered, and how will the result change what we do?
  • Does this mean I am immune, or do I need an IgM test as well?

Questions people ask

Does a positive total hepatitis A antibody mean I have hepatitis A?

Usually not. Most of the time it means you are immune because of the vaccine or an old infection. If you have symptoms, your clinician may add an IgM test to check whether the infection is current.

I was vaccinated but my test is negative. What does that mean?

The test did not find antibodies at or above its detection limit. The ACIP says testing after routine vaccination is not necessary, and it does not set a single protective level. Ask your clinician how to read the result with your vaccination record.

Is total hepatitis A antibody the same as IgG?

Not exactly. Total antibody counts both IgG and IgM together, so only a separate IgM or IgG test can tell them apart.

Show the science and sources

For clinicians and researchers

Total anti-HAV detects IgG and IgM and is measured by qualitative immunoassay: Mayo uses electrochemiluminescence (ECLIA) with reference values 'Unvaccinated: Negative; Vaccinated: Positive', and Quest an immunoassay with a reference of non-reactive. Per the ACIP (2020), IgG anti-HAV appears early in infection, remains detectable for the person's lifetime and provides lifelong protection. Persons who test positive on a total anti-HAV test and negative on an IgM anti-HAV test are considered immune from past infection or vaccination, and a total-positive sample from a symptomatic person should be followed by IgM testing. Anti-HAV levels are expressed in mIU/mL against a WHO reference immune globulin; postvaccination studies use 10 mIU/mL or more as the minimum protective level, and thresholds of 10 to 33 mIU/mL have been proposed for different assays. No absolute protective level has been defined, so the assay's lower limit of detection is generally taken as the protective level. Separate IgG-only anti-HAV assays are also available (ACIP), and the CDC notes that total and IgG anti-HAV tests are not helpful in diagnosing acute illness. Prevaccination serologic testing uses total or IgG anti-HAV and is not routinely recommended; postvaccination testing is not necessary after routine vaccination but is recommended for people with HIV and other immunocompromised persons, and for others whose care depends on knowing their immune status.

LOINC 13951-9 (primary), 20575-7, 5183-9, 22312-3, 51913-2. Specimen: serum.

Sources

  1. Clinical Screening and Diagnosis for Hepatitis A, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  2. Prevention of Hepatitis A Virus Infection in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 2020, MMWR Recommendations and Reports (2020)
  3. Hepatitis A, World Health Organization
  4. Hepatitis A Virus Total Antibodies, Serum (test HAVTA), Mayo Clinic Laboratories (via testcatalog.org)
  5. Hepatitis A Antibody, Total (test code 508), Quest Diagnostics

AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review. Last reviewed 2026-10-03. How we build and check these pages.

Related markers