Hepatitis B infection of the liver in chronic hepatitis C without detectable hepatitis B virus DNA in serum

[Guest guest]

J Med Virol. 2004 Jun;73(2):177-86.

Hepatitis B infection of the liver in chronic hepatitis C without detectable

hepatitis B virus DNA in serum.

Mariscal LF, -Inigo E, Bartolome J, Castillo I, Ortiz-Movilla N,

Navacerrada C, Pardo M, -Mota A, Graus J, Carreno V.

Fundacion para el Estudio de las Hepatitis Virales, Madrid, Spain.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA may persist in the liver in the absence of serum

HBV-DNA after a self-limited acute hepatitis B. This may also occur in

patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection but its prevalence

and its impact on liver histology is unknown. HBV-DNA was tested by

polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by in situ hybridisation in liver

biopsies from 98 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were hepatitis B

surface antigen negative and serum HBV-DNA negative by PCR. HBV-DNA resulted

positive in the liver of 37/98 (37.7%) patients without serum HBV-DNA. To

test whether these patients had serum HBV-DNA levels under the detection

limit of the PCR assay used in this study (50 copies/ml), PCR products in

which HBV-DNA was undetectable after visualization of agarose gels were

analysed by dot-blot hybridisation. With this method, HBV-DNA was positive

in serum of 12/37 patients with liver HBV-DNA. Thus, 25/98 (25.5%) patients

have HBV-DNA detectable only in liver. This was confirmed by in situ

hybridisation, the percentage of infected hepatocytes ranging from 0.1% to

12%. In patients in whom the HCV infection was shorter than 20 years, HBV

infected patients had higher (P = 0.01) fibrosis score (1.64 +/- 1.21) than

HBV negative cases (0.53 +/- 0.66). In conclusion, a significant proportion

of patients with chronic HCV infection have HBV-DNA in the liver in the

absence of viral DNA in serum. The impact of this finding on liver histology

deserves further research. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 15122790 [PubMed]

[Guest guest]

J Med Virol. 2004 Jun;73(2):177-86.

Hepatitis B infection of the liver in chronic hepatitis C without detectable

hepatitis B virus DNA in serum.

Mariscal LF, -Inigo E, Bartolome J, Castillo I, Ortiz-Movilla N,

Navacerrada C, Pardo M, -Mota A, Graus J, Carreno V.

Fundacion para el Estudio de las Hepatitis Virales, Madrid, Spain.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA may persist in the liver in the absence of serum

HBV-DNA after a self-limited acute hepatitis B. This may also occur in

patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection but its prevalence

and its impact on liver histology is unknown. HBV-DNA was tested by

polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by in situ hybridisation in liver

biopsies from 98 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were hepatitis B

surface antigen negative and serum HBV-DNA negative by PCR. HBV-DNA resulted

positive in the liver of 37/98 (37.7%) patients without serum HBV-DNA. To

test whether these patients had serum HBV-DNA levels under the detection

limit of the PCR assay used in this study (50 copies/ml), PCR products in

which HBV-DNA was undetectable after visualization of agarose gels were

analysed by dot-blot hybridisation. With this method, HBV-DNA was positive

in serum of 12/37 patients with liver HBV-DNA. Thus, 25/98 (25.5%) patients

have HBV-DNA detectable only in liver. This was confirmed by in situ

hybridisation, the percentage of infected hepatocytes ranging from 0.1% to

12%. In patients in whom the HCV infection was shorter than 20 years, HBV

infected patients had higher (P = 0.01) fibrosis score (1.64 +/- 1.21) than

HBV negative cases (0.53 +/- 0.66). In conclusion, a significant proportion

of patients with chronic HCV infection have HBV-DNA in the liver in the

absence of viral DNA in serum. The impact of this finding on liver histology

deserves further research. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 15122790 [PubMed]

[Guest guest]

J Med Virol. 2004 Jun;73(2):177-86.

Hepatitis B infection of the liver in chronic hepatitis C without detectable

hepatitis B virus DNA in serum.

Mariscal LF, -Inigo E, Bartolome J, Castillo I, Ortiz-Movilla N,

Navacerrada C, Pardo M, -Mota A, Graus J, Carreno V.

Fundacion para el Estudio de las Hepatitis Virales, Madrid, Spain.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA may persist in the liver in the absence of serum

HBV-DNA after a self-limited acute hepatitis B. This may also occur in

patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection but its prevalence

and its impact on liver histology is unknown. HBV-DNA was tested by

polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by in situ hybridisation in liver

biopsies from 98 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were hepatitis B

surface antigen negative and serum HBV-DNA negative by PCR. HBV-DNA resulted

positive in the liver of 37/98 (37.7%) patients without serum HBV-DNA. To

test whether these patients had serum HBV-DNA levels under the detection

limit of the PCR assay used in this study (50 copies/ml), PCR products in

which HBV-DNA was undetectable after visualization of agarose gels were

analysed by dot-blot hybridisation. With this method, HBV-DNA was positive

in serum of 12/37 patients with liver HBV-DNA. Thus, 25/98 (25.5%) patients

have HBV-DNA detectable only in liver. This was confirmed by in situ

hybridisation, the percentage of infected hepatocytes ranging from 0.1% to

12%. In patients in whom the HCV infection was shorter than 20 years, HBV

infected patients had higher (P = 0.01) fibrosis score (1.64 +/- 1.21) than

HBV negative cases (0.53 +/- 0.66). In conclusion, a significant proportion

of patients with chronic HCV infection have HBV-DNA in the liver in the

absence of viral DNA in serum. The impact of this finding on liver histology

deserves further research. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 15122790 [PubMed]

[Guest guest]

J Med Virol. 2004 Jun;73(2):177-86.

Hepatitis B infection of the liver in chronic hepatitis C without detectable

hepatitis B virus DNA in serum.

Mariscal LF, -Inigo E, Bartolome J, Castillo I, Ortiz-Movilla N,

Navacerrada C, Pardo M, -Mota A, Graus J, Carreno V.

Fundacion para el Estudio de las Hepatitis Virales, Madrid, Spain.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA may persist in the liver in the absence of serum

HBV-DNA after a self-limited acute hepatitis B. This may also occur in

patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection but its prevalence

and its impact on liver histology is unknown. HBV-DNA was tested by

polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by in situ hybridisation in liver

biopsies from 98 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were hepatitis B

surface antigen negative and serum HBV-DNA negative by PCR. HBV-DNA resulted

positive in the liver of 37/98 (37.7%) patients without serum HBV-DNA. To

test whether these patients had serum HBV-DNA levels under the detection

limit of the PCR assay used in this study (50 copies/ml), PCR products in

which HBV-DNA was undetectable after visualization of agarose gels were

analysed by dot-blot hybridisation. With this method, HBV-DNA was positive

in serum of 12/37 patients with liver HBV-DNA. Thus, 25/98 (25.5%) patients

have HBV-DNA detectable only in liver. This was confirmed by in situ

hybridisation, the percentage of infected hepatocytes ranging from 0.1% to

12%. In patients in whom the HCV infection was shorter than 20 years, HBV

infected patients had higher (P = 0.01) fibrosis score (1.64 +/- 1.21) than

HBV negative cases (0.53 +/- 0.66). In conclusion, a significant proportion

of patients with chronic HCV infection have HBV-DNA in the liver in the

absence of viral DNA in serum. The impact of this finding on liver histology

deserves further research. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 15122790 [PubMed]