[Should patients infected with HIV be screened for occult hepatitis B?].
Occult hepatitis B is defined as the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the absence of detectable HBs antigen. The prevalence of occult hepatitis B among patients HIV-infected is uncertain, varying between 0% and 89%, and the clinical consequences of the coinfection are poorly known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of occult hepatitis B among HIV-infected patients and determine risk factors.


METHODS
This retrospective study was conducted with plasma samples from 31HIV-infected patients untreated for HBV infection and for whom at least one sample was available. All patients were found to be carriers of isolated anti-HBc antibodies between 2000 and 2008, and HBV DNA was quantified in 51 samples (one to three per patient) by real-time PCR using the Qiagen HBV PCR kit.


RESULTS
HBV DNA was found in samples from seven patients (22%). Occult hepatitis B seemed to be more frequent among patients coinfected with HCV (p=0.047). The number of CD4 cells was significantly less in samples containing detectable HBV DNA than in those with no detectable HBV DNA.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of occult hepatitis B seemed high, and HBV DNA titers were weak (< 20UI/mL), among patients infected with HIV and carrying isolated anti-HBc antibodies. These results would support screening HIV-infected patients for the presence of HBV DNA if confirmed with a larger patient population.
Marque-Juillet
S
S
Laboratoire de microbiologie, centre hospitalier de Versailles, 177, rue de Versailles, 78150 Le Chesnay cedex, France. smarquejuillet@ch-versailles.fr
Benghalia
K
K
Monnier
S
S
Fernand-Laurent
C
C
Mazeron
M-C
MC
Harzic
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019562:Viral Load
D004279:DNA, Viral; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies