title: Persistence of "wild-type" and "e-minus" hepatitis B virus infection in chronic healthy HBsAg/anti-HBe positive carriers.
abstract: We examined nine chronic healthy hepatitis B surface antigen/antibody to hepatitis Be carriers with consistently normal liver chemistries and negative serum hepatitis B virus-DNA. Liver biopsy, performed twice, 10-11 years apart in all patients, showed normal histology and negative hepatitis B core antigen. DNA extracted from the second liver biopsy specimen, from 1 ml of serum from each patient and from an additional serum sample of 6 ml from two patients, was tested for pre-C/C and pre-S regions of hepatitis B virus-DNA by polymerase chain reaction amplification. Viral sequences were found in six of nine liver DNA extracts. In four cases both pre-C/C and pre-S regions were amplified, while the pre-C/C alone and the pre-S alone were detected in one case each. Direct sequencing of the amplified DNAs revealed no significant genomic changes in the pre-S and Core regions, while analysis of the pre-Core demonstrated the presence of a double viral population (wild-type and "e-defective") in four cases, and only "e-defective" hepatitis B virus in one case. No hepatitis B virus genomes were revealed in the serum sample when DNA was extracted from 1 ml of serum, while viral sequences were detected in both extracts of 6 ml of serum, indicating the presence of very low levels of viremia. These data suggest that episomal hepatitis B virus-DNA may persist for years in the liver of chronic healthy carriers in a latent state which may involve both wild-type and HBeAg-defective hepatitis B virus.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università di Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Raimondo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meucci
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sardo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rodinò
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Campo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vecchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pernice
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Rumi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tatarella
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Franchis
mesh_terms: D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens