title: Delta virus infection in Jerusalem.
abstract: The role of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection was analyzed retrospectively in a highly selected population of 76 patients who were hospitalized in Jerusalem for hepatitis B surface antigen positive for chronic active hepatitis and cirrhosis. Of 25 patients in whom serum and liver tissue were available, 5 patients (20%) showed evidence for HDV infection using a serum anti-HDV IgG radioimmunoassay; in one of them, HDV was also detected in nuclei of infected hepatocytes by immunofluorescence (IF). When only serum was tested, 12 of 45 patients (27%) were anti-HDV IgG positive. The use of IF alone had a very low yield of HDV detection. All HDV-positive patients with available serum had superinfection with the delta agent as confirmed by a negative anti-HBc IgM assay. The majority of HDV-positive patients were immigrants from Rumanian or Middle Eastern and Mediterranean origin. The mean age of delta-positive patients was 10 years lower at clinical presentation as compared with HDV-negative patients. HDV-positive patients had a higher mortality as compared with the HDV-negative group. In conclusion, HDV infection is prevalent among Israeli patients with chronic liver disease and persistent hepatitis B virus infection and leads to a significant morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schuger
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonino
authors.forename: I K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Mushahwar
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ron
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shouval
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D003699:Hepatitis D / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality; D003698:Hepatitis Delta Virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies