Intrahepatic hepatitis B virus replication and liver histology in subjects with occult hepatitis B infection

• Published in: Clinical microbiology and infection Vol. 22; no. 3; pp. 290.e1 - 290.e3
• Main Authors: Wong, D.K.-H., Fung, J., Lee, C.-K., Seto, W.-K., Leung, J., Huang, F.-Y., Lin, C.-K., Lai, C.-L., Yuen, M.-F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2016
• Subjects: Adult; Covalently closed circular DNA; DNA, Circular; DNA, Viral; Female; Genome, Viral; Hepatitis B - pathology; Hepatitis B - virology; Hepatitis B virus - physiology; hepatitis B virus replication; Humans; intrahepatic hepatitis B virus DNA; Liver - pathology; Liver - virology; liver histology; Male; Middle Aged; occult hepatitis B infection; Viral Load; Virus Replication; Young Adult; Covalently closed circular DNA; intrahepatic hepatitis B virus DNA; hepatitis B virus replication; occult hepatitis B infection; liver histology
• ISSN: 1198-743X; 1469-0691
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2015.10.036

We studied the intrahepatic hepatitis B virus (HBV) replicative status in 40 people with occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) and 40 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Intrahepatic HBV DNA, covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), and pre-genomic RNA (pgRNA) were quantified. Patients with OBI had median necroinflammation and fibrosis scores of 1 and 0, respectively. Intrahepatic total HBV DNA, cccDNA and pgRNA were detectable in 30 (77%), one (3%) and five (13%) of the participants with OBI, respectively. People with OBI had lower median intrahepatic total HBV DNA than the patients with CHB (p < 0.0001). They had nearly normal liver histology and low intrahepatic HBV replication.