title: Immune suppression as the etiology of failure to detect anti-HBc antibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
abstract: A lack of anti-HBc antibodies during chronic hepatitis B virus infection is a serological pattern that is rarely observed. In our series of 39 patients with such a confirmed profile, mutations within the precore/core gene were rarely found and the lack of antibody detection was mostly explained by concurrent immunosuppression and the low sensitivities of the serological assays.
authors.affiliation: Virology Department, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Avettand-Fenoel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thabut
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Katlama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Poynard
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thibault
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016377:Organ Transplantation
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens