title: Serum levels of interferon-alpha and -gamma in acute and chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
abstract: To evaluate the potential implication of in vivo interferon production in the pathogenesis of different forms of acute and chronic hepatitis B virus infection, serum levels of interferon-alpha and -gamma were measured using immunoassay techniques in 20 patients with acute hepatitis B who subsequently cleared the virus (group Ia), 8 patients with acute hepatitis B who became HBsAg carriers (group Ib), 55 patients with chronic hepatitis B (group II), and 15 healthy controls. None of the controls had interferon-alpha or -gamma detectable in serum, while 15% and 100% of group Ia patients, 25% and 100% of group Ib patients, and 22% and 15% of group II patients, had raised serum levels of interferon-alpha and -gamma, respectively. Serum interferon-gamma was detected significantly more frequently in group Ia and Ib patients than in controls and in group II patients. Among patients with acute hepatitis B, serum levels of interferon-alpha and -gamma showed no significant difference between group Ia and group Ib patients. Among patients with chronic hepatitis B, interferon-alpha was detected significantly more frequently in patients with serum HBV-DNA (31.4% or 11/35) than in those without (5% or 1/20), whereas interferon-gamma was detected significantly more frequently in patients with chronic active hepatitis (28% or 7/25) than in those with chronic persistent hepatitis (3.3% or 1/30). In conclusion, in acute hepatitis B, serum levels of interferon-alpha and -gamma did not show a significant difference between patients who subsequently cleared the virus and those who became HBsAg carriers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Unit, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Sheen
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Liaw
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000097:blood*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma