HEPATITIS-B AND HEPATITIS-D GENOMES IN HEPATITIS-B SURFACE-ANTIGEN NEGATIVE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C

Hepatitis B and hepatitis D viral genomes were tested by nested polyme rase chain reaction in the serum and liver of 69 hepatitis B surface a ntigen (HBsAg) negative, anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive patient s (47 with HCV RNA and 22 without HCV RNA). Serum hepatitis B virus (H BV) DNA-was detected in 49% of the patients with HCV-RNA and in 64% of those without HCV-RNA. Furthermore, intrahepatic HBV-DNA was found in four of five (80%) of the biopsies analysed. Delta genome was found i n 72% and 73%, respectively, of the anti-HCV positive patients with or without HCV-RNA. In addition, intrahepatic delta virus genome was det ected in another four liver biopsies studied. In the group of patients with HCV-RNA, the simultaneous presence of hepatitis B and D genomes was statistically higher in transfused patients than in drug addicts, or in those with an unknown infection route (P < 0.001). These results show a high percentage of B and D genomes in HBsAg negative patients with anti-HCV, irrespective of the presence or absence of the HCV geno me. However, the clinical implications of this finding should be exami ned in future studies. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.