title: Histological changes of concurrent hepatitis C virus infection in asymptomatic hepatitis B virus patients.
abstract: In chimpanzees and in vitro cell culture studies, hepatitis C infection has been shown to suppress hepatitis B virus expression. In addition, hepatitis C infection can cause much more severe liver disease in patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus. The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C infection in asymptomatic chronic hepatitis B Hong Kong Chinese patients and the histological changes and hepatic expression of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. Five hundred and seventy-one Hong Kong Chinese asymptomatic chronic hepatitis B patients were studied. Only four (0.7%) were hepatitis C virus antibody positive; they were also all positive for hepatitis C viral RNA in serum by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Portal lymphoid aggregates and bile duct damage was noted in the liver sections of three of the four patients. Hepatic expression of hepatitis B surface antigen was detected in three patients; none had detectable hepatitis B core antigen. By branched DNA assay, serum hepatitis B DNA could not be detected in any of the four patients, but three had hepatitis C RNA. By in situ RT-PCR, hepatitis C RNA was detected in the cytoplasm of three of the four patients. These findings suggest that hepatitis C coinfection in asymptomatic chronic hepatitis B patients is uncommon in Hong Kong Chinese and active hepatitis B viral replication is absent in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. gkklau@hkstar.com
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral