title: Hepatitis D virus antibody in HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative substance abusers with chronic liver disease.
abstract: The hepatitis D virus (HDV; previously called the "delta agent") is a defective organism which can replicate only in the presence of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). We tested the serum of 95 substance abusers, all of whom had sufficient evidence of chronic liver disease to warrant a liver biopsy, for hepatitis D virus antibody (anti-HDV). Anti-HDV was detected in five of eight hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive patients and 12 of 87 (14%) HBsAg-negative patients. Antibody to the hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) was the sole hepatitis B marker in eight of the 12 (67%) anti-HDV-positive, HBsAg-negative patients but in only 14 of 75 (19%) anti-HDV-negative, HBsAg-negative patients (P less than 0.005). None of the anti-HDV-positive, HBsAg-negative patients had detectable IgM anti-HBc in the serum or hepatitis D antigen in liver tissue, and they had similar clinical features and liver biopsy diagnoses to HBsAg-negative patients without anti-HDV. We conclude that anti-HDV in HBsAg-negative substance abusers reflects infection with HDV and HBV in the distant past and does not indicate more severe liver disease than that seen in HBsAg-negative patients without anti-HDV.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006518:Hepatitis Viruses / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens