title: Hepatitis B virus DNA in liver tissue of chronic HBsAg carriers in childhood and its relationship to other viral markers.
abstract: The aim of the study was to examine the state of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in liver tissue of 103 children with chronic hepatitis B aged 0.5-18 years to detect free and integrated viral sequences by Southern blot hybridization. HBV DNA was found in 74 patients. Seventy-two were seropositive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and two had anti-HBe antibodies. Integrated sequences could be demonstrated in two children. One of them had only integrated HBV DNA and was anti-HBe seropositive. The other one presented both free and integrated viral sequences and developed seroconversion from HBeAg to anti-HBe 5 months after biopsy. In 29 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers, no HBV DNA could be detected in the liver. Ten were HBeAg and 19 anti-HBe seropositive. HBV DNA in serum was found in 65 of the 74 Southern blot-positive and only in two cases of the Southern blot-negative patients. In conclusion, most of the HBeAg-positive children had free HBV DNA in their liver tissue and all patients with anti-HBe except one were negative. According to our results, HBV DNA integration into the liver cell genome can occur at an early stage of chronic disease but is not a frequent event.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wirth
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zabel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens