Hepatitis B Viral Nucleotide Sequences in Non-A, Non-B or Hepatitis B Virus-Related Chronic Liver Disease†
Annalena Figus
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorHubert E. Blum
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Hubert E. Blum is a recipient of a Heisenberg Award from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinsehaft.
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Girish N. Vyas
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Girish N. Vyas, Ph.D., University of California. San Francisco, California 94143===Search for more papers by this authorStefano De Virgilis
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorAntonio Cao
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorMarco Lippi
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorEliana Lai
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorAngelo Balestrieri
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorAnnalena Figus
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorHubert E. Blum
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Hubert E. Blum is a recipient of a Heisenberg Award from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinsehaft.
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Girish N. Vyas
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Girish N. Vyas, Ph.D., University of California. San Francisco, California 94143===Search for more papers by this authorStefano De Virgilis
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorAntonio Cao
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorMarco Lippi
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorEliana Lai
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorAngelo Balestrieri
Hepatitis Research Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, and Liver Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, and Clinica Pediatrica, Medica Seconda and Pathologia Medica III, University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorThis work was presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Study of Liver Diseases held in 1982
Abstract
The presence of serological markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and of hepatocellular HBV DNA were investigated in 19 HBsAg-negative patients with clinically and histologically significant chronic liver disease. Four cases negative for antibodies to HBsAg (anti-HBs), to the core antigen (anti-HBc), and to the e antigen (anti-HBe) were classified as non-A, non-B hepatitis. The remainder, positive for one or more of the three antibodies, were classified as hepatitis B. Histologic diagnosis was chronic active hepatitis in five, chronic persistent hepatitis in 11, micron-odular cirrhosis in two, and fatty liver in one patient. The DNA extracted from limited amounts of liver biopsies, without cleavage by restriction endonucleases, was analyzed by the Southern blot technique for the presence of episomal HBV DNA. Autoradiographs showed a single band of less than 4.0 kilobase (kb) corresponding to the monomeric form of HBV DNA in five patients, several bands of larger forms (4.0 to 18.0 kb) in three patients, both the monomeric and the larger forms in eight patients, and no HBV DNA in three patients. While HBV DNA was detected in the hepatocellular DNA of six patients who underwent splenectomy, hybridization was negative with the DNA extracted from their spleens. The episomal viral DNA larger than 4.0 kb may represent concatemeric forms or free oligomers which could not be distinguished from rearranged and/or integrated viral DNA in the limited analyses of the hepatocellular DNA hydrolyzed with HindIII or EcoRI. Our observations suggest the presence of HBV-like agents in the liver of serologically HBsAg-negative patients with chronic liver disease.
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