Home  About us  Contact
 

Occult Hepatitis B Virus (occult + hepatitis_b_virus)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences80%

Terms modified by Occult Hepatitis B Virus

  • occult hepatitis b virus infection
    		•

    Selected Abstracts

    Occult hepatitis B virus infection in patients with autoimmune liver diseases

    LIVER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2009
    Sarah P. Georgiadou
    Abstract Background: Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by undetectable serum HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) but detectable HBV-DNA in serum or liver. Aims: To determine the prevalence and clinical impact of occult HBV in autoimmune liver diseases as similar data are missing. Methods: One hundred and ninety-six sera samples from HBsAg-negative patients, including 66 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), 93 primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and 37 primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), were investigated for HBV-DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) before treatment initiation. One hundred and three serial samples from 38 AIH patients under immunosuppression and 282 selected blood donors (HBsAg negative; antibodies to HBV-core antigen positive) were also investigated. Fourteen available paraffin-embedded AIH liver samples were also investigated for HBV-DNA by nested-PCR. Results: Hepatitis B virus DNA was detected in the serum of 24/196 patients (12.2%) and 0/282 donors (P=0.0000). Nine patients had AIH (13.6%), eight had PBC (8.6%) and seven had PSC (18.9%) (P=0.0000 vs healthy). HBV-DNA detection in AIH livers was higher than in serum. HBV-DNA was associated neither with HBV markers nor with epidemiological, laboratory and clinical data. Serial testing of AIH patients revealed two HBV-DNA-negative patients before treatment becoming positive during treatment, while all HBV-DNA-positive patients before immunosuppression became negative. Conclusion: Based mainly on serum HBV-DNA, we found a significant proportion of autoimmune liver disease patients with occult HBV compared with donors. However, taking into account our results in a small number of liver tissues, it should be emphasized that occult HBV could be even higher when both serum and liver specimens are investigated. Occult HBV does not seem to affect the clinical and laboratory features of the diseases, while AIH patients with occult HBV under immunosuppression do not deteriorate during follow-up. [source]

    A study on sequence variations in pre-S/surface, X and enhancer II/core promoter/precore regions of occult hepatitis B virus in non-B, non-C hepatocellular carcinoma patients in Taiwan

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 3 2009
    Chien-Hung Chen
    Abstract This study was to investigate the clinical significance and virologic factors of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients without hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or anti-hepatitis C virus (non-B, non-C) in Taiwan. Serum HBV DNA (occult HBV) was detected in 90 of 222 non-B, non-C HCC patients and 24 of 300 non-B, non-C controls without HCC. Of 90 occult HBV-infected HCC patients, the sequences of HBV pre-S/surface, X and enhancer II/core promoter/precore genes were analyzed from 40 patients. Direct sequencing of such genes was also performed in 24 non-B, non-C controls without HCC and 40 HBsAg-positive HCC controls. Compared with non-B, non-C controls without HCC, non-B, non-C subjects with HCC had significantly higher prevalence of occult HBV (p < 0.0001). Moreover, M1I and Q2K in pre-S2 gene and G1721A were more common in occult HBV-infected patients with HCC than in those without HCC. Compared with the HBsAg-positive HCC controls, occult HBV-infected HCC patients had higher frequencies of M1I and Q2K in pre-S2 gene, G185R and S210N in surface gene, A36T and A44L in X gene, and G1721A in enhancer II gene, and had lower rates of pre-S deletions and A1762T/G1764A, A1846T, G1896A and G1899A in core promoter/precore genes. Multivariate analysis showed Q2K in pre-S2 gene, G1721A and A1846T were independent factors for occult HBV-infected HCC. Our study suggested that the virological factors of HBV related to HCC were different between occult HBV-infected and HBsAg-positive patients. The G1721A, M1I and Q2K in pre-S2 gene may be useful viral markers for HCC in occult HBV carriers. © 2009 UICC [source]

    Occult hepatitis B virus infection in Southern African blacks with hepatocellular carcinoma

    JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 9 2008
    Michael C Kew
    Abstract Background and Aim:, To ascertain the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in southern African blacks with hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods:, Sera from 118 patients negative for HBV surface antigen but positive for HBV antibodies were studied. HBV-DNA was detected using a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and confirmed by nucleotide sequencing of the surface and precore/core genes. Results:, Surface gene HBV-DNA was detected in a single PCR assay in 48.4% of the patients. Positive results increased to 57.7% after two PCR assays (not significant) and 75.7% after four assays (P < 0.001). No false positive results were obtained in these assays or in the 15 control samples for which PCR assays were performed four times. Significant differences in positivity rates were not observed between patients positive for HBV core antibody alone and those positive for core and surface antibodies. The sensitivity of the PCR amplification of the precore/core gene was significantly less than that of the surface open reading frame: the yield of positive results was 23.7% after one assay, 32.2% after two assays (not significant), and 52% after four assays (P < 0.001). Combining the results of the assays of the two genes increased the yield of positive results for the first assay (by 11.9%, P = 0.015), but not the second (6.1%) or fourth assays (4.6%). Conclusion:, Occult HBV infection is present in the serum of the majority of hepatocellular carcinomas in southern African blacks whose serum is negative for hepatitis B surface antigen but positive for anti-HBV core antigen. The yield of positive results increases if more than one PCR assay is performed. [source]

    Clinical significance of a highly sensitive enzyme immunoassay of hepatitis B surface antigen using a novel electron spin resonance technique

    JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 2 2002
    Masanori Aoki
    Abstract We developed a highly sensitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA), the p-AP/HHTIO method, that detects serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by measuring stabilized nitroxide radicals using a novel electron spin resonance technique [Matsuo et al. (1998) Free Radic Biol Med 25:929,935]. To demonstrate the clinical significance of this method and to reveal occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients, we used the method to analyze serum samples of 30 patients with acute or fulminant hepatitis who were negative for HBsAg by standard EIA, and those of seven chronic HBV carriers who became negative for HBsAg during a follow-up period by standard EIA. We also examined serum HBV DNA by amplification of the HBV S gene, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. The p-AP/HHTIO method showed that 9 of 20 (45%) patients with acute hepatitis and 2 of 10 (20%) with fulminant hepatitis were positive for HBsAg; PCR detected HBV DNA in these HBsAg-positive patients. Antibody against hepatitis B core antigen was detected in one patient with fulminant hepatitis. The p-AP/HHTIO method demonstrated prolonged seropositivity of HBsAg even after standard EIA showed a loss of HBsAg in all seven HBV carriers. Our p-AP/HHTIO method is useful for screening and diagnosing HBV infection in patients with liver diseases who are negative for conventional HBV-related serological markers. J. Med. Virol. 66:166,170, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]