title: Use of livers from hepatitis B core antibody positive donors in living donor liver transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  HBsAg negative recipients of liver from anti-HBc positive donors are at a significant risk for developing de novo HBV infection after liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of lamivudine as mono therapy in preventing HBV transmission by graft with anti-HBc positive donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between June 2004 and January 2009, 40 of 250 recipients received liver grafts from donors with anti-HBc positive in our centre. We analyzed 18 recipients with negative HBsAg who have at least follow-up of 6 months. All recipients and donors were negative for HBsAg and serum HBV DNA. Eleven of 18 patients had received liver grafts from living donor, while others from deceased donor. Mean age of these 18 patients was 49 (range, 25 to 66). Mean follow-up for patients receiving anti-HBc positive donor graft was 18.7 months (range, 6 to 48 months). Lamivudine mono-prophylaxis was given to all recipients since first post-transplant day. Recipient serological markers including HBsAg, HBV-DNA, anti-HBs, anti-HBc were routinely tested every 3 months or when liver function was abnormal.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One patient who discontinued lamivudine prophylaxis developed de novo HBV infection in 21 months after liver transplantation. Seventeen patients under lamivudine prophylaxis remained negative for serum HBsAg and HBV-DNA with a follow-up of 17 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded that lamivudine mono prophylaxis is effective in preventing de novo HBV infection in recipients receiving grafts from anti-HBc positive donors.
authors.affiliation: Organ Transplantation Center, Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. onuryaprak@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Onur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yaprak
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dayangac
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Balci
authors.forename: Tolga
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Demirbas
authors.forename: Yildiray
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuzer
authors.forename: Yaman
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokat
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D019259:Lamivudine