The Hepatitis B penta test, commonly known as the two halves, is the most commonly used serologic marker to screen for hepatitis B virus infection. It consists of five tests: hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B surface antibody, hepatitis B e antigen, hepatitis B e antibody and hepatitis B core antibody. How to read the labs, Hepatitis B Surface Antigen is the outer shell protein of the Hepatitis B virus, and its presence is often accompanied by the presence of the Hepatitis B virus, so if Hepatitis B Surface Antigen is positive, it indicates that one has been infected with the Hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B surface antibody proves that a person has developed immunity, so if the surface antibody is found to be positive, it means that the person will not be infected with hepatitis B again. Hepatitis B e antigen, if found positive, indicates that the virus is actively replicating in the body and is highly contagious. Hepatitis B e antibody, if positive, indicates that the virus is less replicated and less contagious, but it does not mean that the virus has been eliminated. Hepatitis B core antibody indicates whether or not there has been an infection with the hepatitis B virus, so the core antibody is a sign of whether or not the virus has been infected. If the test results are all minus signs, it means that the test is negative, there is no hepatitis B virus and no protective antibodies have been produced, so you should consider getting the hepatitis B vaccine to prevent hepatitis B infection.