title: Relevance of hepatitis B DNA detection in patient's serum.
abstract: Detection of HBV-DNA showed a satisfactory sensitivity (6 pg/ml) and high specificity: 15 patients with hepatitis A, 6 with CMV, 7 with EBV infection, 81 with hepatitis NANB as well as 174 persons with isolated HBc antibodies and 9 hepatitis B vaccinees gave negative results. However, out of 118 persons with a history of hepatitis B (HBs and HBc antibodies positive), one repeatedly had a positive result. We followed 58 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 25 healthy antigen carries, and 16 HBV-infected dialysis patients over an extended period with multiple blood sampling. Most of those patients showed changes of detectability of HBV-DNA. Typically, periods with positive DNA tests were followed by intervals with negative tests which could last for up to a few years. 75% of dialysis patients were positive in all sera available, while 48% of healthy antigen carriers were consistently negative. Additionally, 9 patients with a history of recent hepatitis B and a positive HBs antibody test as well as 4 patients with simultaneous infection by A and B were tested for HBV-DNA. In none of these two groups, a variation from the pattern usually found in hepatitis B was established. A case of intrauterine infection with hepatitis B virus is reported. Because the blood of the mother was free from HBV-DNA and HBe antigen at delivery and because the hepatitis B immunoglobulin prophylaxis failed in the child who developed HBs antigen very soon after delivery, it has been concluded that the child was infected in utero. The highest values of HBV-DNA determined quantitatively were found in dialysis patients which explains the high risk of acquiring hepatitis B in the dialysis unit. The results from earlier studies on the prognostic relevance of HBV-DNA and the risk of medical personnel as a source of infection with hepatitis B are discussed briefly.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Virologie der Universität Wien.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tuma
authors.forename: F X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Heinz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kunz
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens