A 23-year-old man comes to the emergency department due to 7 days of fever and malaise. He has also had nausea and a poor appetite. The patient has no significant medical history but regularly uses injection drugs and has had multiple sexual partners. Temperature is 38 C (100.4 F). On physical examination, there is scleral icterus. A tender, smooth liver edge is palpable 4 cm below the right costal margin. Appropriate therapy is initiated. The following graph illustrates this patient's hepatitis B serologic markers over time.

Which of the following best explains these observed findings?
A. Acute hepatitis B that progressed to chronic hepatitis with high infectivity
B. Acute hepatitis B that progressed to chronic hepatitis with low infectivity
C. Acute exacerbation of pre-existing chronic hepatitis B infection
D. Immunity against hepatitis B acquired from vaccination during the hospitalization
E. Recovery from acute hepatitis B infection with immunity against reinfection

A 23-year-old man comes to the emergency department due to 7 days of fever and malaise. He has also had nausea and a poor appetite. The patient has no significant medical history but regularly uses injection drugs and has had multiple sexual partners. Temperature is 38 C (100.4 F). On physical examination, there is scleral icterus. A tender, smooth liver edge is palpable 4 cm below the right costal margin. Appropriate therapy is initiated. The following graph illustrates this patient's hepatitis B serologic markers over time.<br><img src="8787b13cbd17e66ef0811c0a95e01c73.webp"><br>Which of the following best explains these observed findings?<br>A. Acute hepatitis B that progressed to chronic hepatitis with high infectivity<br>B. Acute hepatitis B that progressed to chronic hepatitis with low infectivity<br>C. Acute exacerbation of pre-existing chronic hepatitis B infection<br>D. Immunity against hepatitis B acquired from vaccination during the hospitalization<br>E. Recovery from acute hepatitis B infection with immunity against reinfection

E. Recovery from acute hepatitis B infection with immunity against
reinfection

E. Recovery from acute hepatitis B infection with immunity against<br>reinfection