title: Detection of hepatitis B virus DNA in asymptomatic hepatitis B surface antigen carriers: relation to sexual transmission.
abstract: The authors tested, by molecular hybridization, for hepatitis B virus DNA in serum specimens of 182 asymptomatic hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) Greek carriers who were heterosexual partners of patients with acute hepatitis B (group A: 96 cases) or healthy subjects who were susceptible to hepatitis B (group B: 86 cases). The mean age (34.1 +/- 10.4 vs. 33.9 +/- 8.4 years) and the mean duration of sexual contact (6.9 +/- 8.9 vs. 7.2 +/- 6.3 years) were similar in the two groups of carriers. Hepatitis B virus DNA was detected significantly more frequently in group A than in group B (59.4% vs. 11.6%, p less than 0.001). In particular, in group A, hepatitis B virus DNA was detected in 96.9% of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive and 41% of antibody to HBeAg (anti-HBe)-positive carriers. In contrast, in group B, hepatitis B virus DNA was identified in only 10.8% of anti-HBe-positive carriers (p less than 0.001). These differences were especially significant in the young and middle-aged carriers (16-49 years old) and during the first four years of sexual contact. These data suggest that 1) there is a positive correlation between the presence of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum and the epidemiologic evidence of sexual transmission of hepatitis B virus, 2) hepatitis B virus DNA is a better indicator of infectivity than HBeAg/anti-HBe, and 3) the detection of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum probably identified carriers with high infectivity and potentially higher risk of transmitting hepatitis B virus to their sexual partners.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000635:transmission*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012723:Sex
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens