title: Effect of ethanol during hepatitis B virus infection in chimpanzees.
abstract: To determine whether the use of ethyl alcohol (ethanol, C2H5OH) may increase the liver damage caused by hepatitis B virus infection, ethanol was infused into four chimpanzees on one or two occasions during the course of natural or experimentally induced hepatitis B virus infections. A fifth chimpanzee, without active hepatitis B virus infection, served as a control. Moderate elevations of serum aspartate or alanine aminotransferases occurred in four of the five chimpanzees, including the control chimpanzee, in direct association with ethanol infusion; pre-existing enzyme elevations persisted in a fifth chimpanzee. No alteration occurred in the titers of hepatitis B surface antigen or of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen in three of the four infected chimpanzees. There was no significant alteration in the course of hepatitis B virus infection by ethanol infusion in these chimpanzees.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000097:blood; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D002679:Pan troglodytes
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D000431:Ethanol; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase