HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-ANTIBODY AND HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-REPLICATION IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS-B PATIENTS

We assessed hepatitis C virus infection in 156 chronic hepatitis B pat ients using second-generation hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV). A ctive virus replication was further investigated in anti-HCV-positive cases by means of polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of serum hepatitis C virus RNA. Anti-HCV prevalence was higher in patien ts negative for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) (10/48, 21%) than in HBe Ag-positive patients (10/108, 9%) p<0.05), and the reactivity (cut-off index) in anti-HCV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of the positive cases was significantly higher in HBeAg-negative patients (4.1+/-0.1) than in -positive ones (3.6+/-0.6) (p<0.05). The prevalence of hepatit is C virus RNA in anti-HCV-positive cases was also higher in the HBeAg -negative group (9/10, 90%) than in the -positive group (3/10, 30%) (p <0.01). Viremia was found in association with high reactivity in anti- HCV ELISA (cut-off index >3.5) in both groups. Nine (90%) of 10 such c ases were viremic in the HBeAg-negative group compared with three (43% ) of seven in the HBeAg-positive group (p<0.05). These results suggest that hepatitis C virus replication may be influenced by hepatitis B v irus replicative states, indicating possible interference between hepa titis B and C viruses. (C) Journal of Hepatology.